fOUSE 


No.  2169 


OF 


SPECIAL  REPORT 


OF  THE 

Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board 


RELATIVE  TO  THE 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  NAVIGATION  AND  POWER  IN 


AND  ALONG  THE  MERRIMAC  RIVER 

V'  *  L  o 


under  authority  of 


*  L 


f  7 


Chapter  708,  Acts  of  1912,  and  Chapter  59,  Resolves  of  1913. 


January,  1914.1 


EOSTON: 

WRIGHT  &  POTTER  PRINTING  CO.,  STATE  PRINTERS, 

32  DERNE  STREET. 

1914. 


5 

O 

*0 


Cbe  Commontoealtf)  of  ajassacbuoetts. 


To  the  Honorable  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Common¬ 
wealth  of  Massachusetts. 

The  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  appointed  under  the 
provisions  of  chapter  708  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  respectfully  sub¬ 
mits  its  second  and  final  report  concerning  an  investigation  of 
the  Merrimac  River,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  that 
act,  and  of  chapter  59  of  the  Resolves  of  1913,  extending  the 
time  for  filing  said  report  to  the  second  Wednesday  of  Jan¬ 
uary,  1914,  and  the  term  of  office  of  the  Board  to  Feb.  1,  1914. 

Chapter  708  of  the  Acts  of  1912  is  as  follows:  — 

Section  1.  Upon  the  passage  of  this  act  the  governor,  with  the  advice 
and  consent  of  the  council,  shall  appoint  a  board  to  consist  of  three  citi¬ 
zens  of  the  commonwealth,  one  of  whom  shall  be  a  member  of  the  board 
of  harbor  and  land  commissioners.  The  governor  shall  designate  the 
chairman  of  the  board,  which  shall  be  known  as  the  Merrimac  Valley 
Waterway  Board.  The  board  shall  receive  such  compensation  as  the 
governor  and  council  may  determine.  The  term  of  office  of  said  board 
shall  expire  upon  the  making  of  the  report  hereinafter  provided  for. 

Section  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  board  to  make  a  thorough 
survey  and  study  of  the  possibilities  of  development  of  navigation  and 
power  in  and  along  the  Merrimac  river,  and,  in  so  doing,  to  employ  com¬ 
petent  engineers  and  assistants  and  by  personal  inspection  and  by  dis¬ 
cussion  with  the  people  in  the  various  cities  and  towns  along  the  Merrimac 
valley  to  ascertain  the  facts  and  to  learn  the  desires  of  the  people  along 
said  river.  The  board  shall  hold  meetings  in  the  various  cities  and  towns 
in  said  valley  in  regard  to  the  development  of  the  Merrimac  river  for 
navigation  and  power,  shall  make  a  thorough  and  comprehensive  plan 
for  such  development,  and  shall  make  a  report  to  the  general  court  on  or 
before  the  first  day  of  February,'  nineteen  hundred  and  thirteen,  and 
accompanied  by  said  plan  and  by  such  recommendations  for  legislation 
as  the  board  may  determine. 

Section  3.  To  meet  the  expense  of  said  investigation  and  report, 
the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  may  be  paid  out  of  the  treasury  of  the 
commonwealth. 

Section  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  upon  its  passage.  [Approved 
June  J,  1912. 


* 

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4 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


This  act  comprehends:  — 

Survey  and  study  of  possibilities  of  development  of  naviga¬ 
tion  in  and  along  the  river. 

Survey  and  study  of  possibilities  of  development  of  power  in 
and  along  the  river. 

Personal  inspection  and  discussion  with  people  in  the  various 
cities  and  towns  along  the  Merrimac  valley  to  ascertain  facts 
and  learn  the  desires  of  the  people  along  the  river. 

Public  hearings. 

Plans  for  development  of  river  for  navigation  and  power. 

A  preliminary  report  dated  Jan.  28,  1913,  was  made  to  the 
Legislature,  printed  in  House  Document  No.  1824  of  1913,  and 
considered  by  the  legislative  committee  on  harbors  and  public 
lands.  Up  to  that  time  the  Board,  which  held  its  first  meeting 
Aug.  23,  1912,  had  given  public  hearings  at  Newburyport, 
Haverhill,  Lawrence,  Lowell  and  Amesbury;  made  inspections 
of  the  river  from  Lowell  to  the  sea;  conferred  with  the  district 
engineer  officer  in  charge  of  river  and  harbor  works  in  the 
territory  including  this  river;  ascertained,  both  by  personal 
interviews  and  by  correspondence,  facts  and  general  information 
concerning  the  desires  of  the  public,  the  developed  water  power, 
the  character  and  amount  of  business  carried  on  in  the  several 
cities  and  towns  along  the  river,  and  collected  statistical  matter 
in  as  complete  form  as  possible.  Furthermore,  for  the  purpose 
of  studying  present  river  conditions,  including  depths  of  water, 
obstructions  to  navigation,  number  and  location  of  bridges,  and 
other  data,  a  map  of  the  whole  length  of  the  river  in  Massa¬ 
chusetts  was  prepared  from  surveys  and  maps  by  the  federal 
government  and  by  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  and  from 
other  sources.  A  survey  had  also  been  commenced  of  the 
territory  at  and  near  the  dam  at  Lawrence,  which  is  described 
later  in  this  report. 

It  was  stated  in  the  preliminary  report  that  the  term  of  office 
of  this  Board  should  be  extended  for  the  purpose  of  making 
further  surveys  and  examinations  and  continuing  work  then  in 
progress,  “In  order  that  there  may  be  no  delay  on  the  part  of 
the  State  and  the  various  municipalities  in  carrying  out  such 
work,  supplementary  to  that  of  the  government,  as  will  provide 
the  facilities  necessary  to  carry  on  the  large  amount  of  business 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


5 


which  will  surely  follow  the  opening  to  navigation  of  the  whole 
river.” 

A  very  important  consideration  in  connection  with  this  in¬ 
vestigation  was  the  fact  that  the  river  and  harbor  act  of 
Congress,  approved  July  25,  1912,  provided  for  a  preliminary 
examination  of  the  Merrimac  River,  “with  a  view  to  securing 
increased  depth  from  Lowell  to  the  sea  or  in  any  part  of  this 
section  of  the  river.”  When  entering  upon  its  studies  of  the 
problem  involved,  the  Board  found  that  inquiry  covering  sub¬ 
stantially  the  same  matters  included  in  the  legislation  of  1912 
aforesaid,  as  well  as  others  in  addition,  was  contemplated  by  the 
Lhiited  States  engineer  officer  stationed  at  Boston,  in  compliance 
with  his  instructions.  Consequently,  conferences  were  held,  and 
a  plan  of  co-operative  procedure  discussed  and  adopted  for 
the  purpose  of  avoiding  duplication  of  work  and  procuring  all 
possible  information  and  data  to  enable  that  officer,  as  well  as 
this  Board,  to  prepare  full  and  comprehensive  reports.  In 
pursuance  thereof  copies  of  the  stenographic  reports  of  public 
hearings  held  by  this  Board,  and  of  statistical  and  other  in¬ 
formation  collected  were  furnished  the  district  officer,  and  have 
been  used  and  quoted  at  length  in  his  report.  The  Board  has 
also  been  greatly  aided  in  its  work  by  the  receipt  of  facts  and 
figures  in  the  possession  of  that  officer. 

Early  in  March,  1913,  this  Board  directed  its  engineer  to 
make  an  examination  and  survey  of  that  part  of  the  river  from 
Ward  Hill  to  the  pool  above  the  Lawrence  dam:  — 

(1)  For  the  purpose  of  preparing  plans  and  estimates  of  the 
cost  of  an  adequate  channel. 

(2)  For  the  purpose  of  preparing  plans  and  estimates  of  cost 
for  building  a  canal,  with  suitable  locks,  on  the  upland  along 
and  near  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  connecting  the  pool 
above  the  Lawrence  dam  with  the  channel  of  the  river,  just 
below  Ward  Hill.  Statement,  in  detail,  relating  to  this  and 
other  surveys,  is  made  on  subsequent  pages  of  this  report. 

Up  to  April  1,  1913,  there  were  nine  regular  meetings  of  the 
Board,  in  addition  to  the  public  hearings  and  conferences 
previously  mentioned,  at  which  many  matters  relating  to  the 
subjects  under  investigation  were  considered.  Later  in  this 
month  application  was  made  to  the  chief  of  engineers,  U.  S.  A., 


6 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 

for  a  copy  of  the  report  of  Col.  Frederic  V.  Abbot,  Corps  of 
Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  dated  March  29,  1913,  on  his  preliminary 
examination  of  this  river,  required  by  the  river  and  harbor 
act  aforesaid,  and  the  same  was  subsequently  furnished.  This 
clear,  logical  and  comprehensive  report  is  so  instructive  and 
describes  so  completely  existing  conditions,  that  all  portions 
thereof  which  are  material  to  this  inquiry  are  incorporated  in 
and  made  part  of  the  report  of  this  Board.  The  first  extract 
therefrom,  and  which  is  of  primary  importance  to  the  Common¬ 
wealth,  is  as  follows :  — 

Survey.  —  Whether  the  creation  of  a  channel  18  feet  deep  and 
200  feet  wide,  suitably  widened  at  the  bends,  which  will  safely 
permit  17-foot  draft  vessels  to  navigate  the  river,  is  practicable, 
is  largely  a  matter  of  cost.  If  the  material  can  be  removed  by 
powerful  dredges,  without  drilling  and  blasting,  the  cost  may  or 
may  not  be  excessive,  depending  on  the  yardage,  which  can  be 
ascertained  only  by  an  accurate  hydrographic  survey  from  the 
bar  to  the  point  opposite  Ward  Hill,  where  it  has  been  recom¬ 
mended  that  the  United  States  turn  over  the  river  to  the  State 
for  improvement.  If  large  quantities  of  rock  are  found  by  boring 
it  may  be  necessary  to  combine  dredging  and  slack-water  naviga¬ 
tion  below  Ward  Hill;  accurate  and  numerous  borings  are 
therefore  unavoidable  before  any  definite  project  or  any  approx¬ 
imation  to  the  cost  of  such  a  channel  is  possible.  While  there 
are  reliable  maps  of  portions  of  the  river,  there  are  long  reaches 
for  which  no  reliable  data  are  available.  It  is  intended  to 
avoid  duplicating  work  by  using  such  known  data  as  are  avail¬ 
able,  and  supplementing  them  by  new  surveys. 

The  question  of  cost  must  be  determined  within  reasonable 
limits  before  it  is  known  to  what  extent  co-operation  by  the 
State  should  be  asked;  it  seems,  therefore,  that  the  United  States 
should  make  an  accurate  survey  of  the  river  up  to  Ward  Hill, 
provided  the  State  will  undertake  a  similar  survey  for  a  canal 
from  Ward  Hill  to  connect  with  the  pool  above  the  Lawrence 
dam.  It  is  understood  that  there  is  a  considerable  State  appro¬ 
priation  now  available  for  such  a  survey,  and  there  is  little  doubt 
that  the  balance  would  be  provided  by  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts  if  such  provision  was  made  a  condition  precedent 
to  a  survey  up  to  Ward  Hill  by  the  United  States.  By  following 
this  course  co-operation  by  the  State  and  federal  government 
would  begin  at  the  very  start,  and  there  would  be  good  ground 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


7 


for  confidence  that  the  local  authorities  were  thoroughly  in 
earnest,  and  that  the  improvement  was  worthy  of  being  made 
by  the  State  and  the  United  States  jointly. 

It  is  therefore  recommended  that  an  allotment  for  a  United 
States  survey  of  the  Merrimac  River  from  Black  Rocks  Beacon 
up  to  Ward  Hill,  with  a  view  to  the  creation  of  a  channel  200 
feet  wide  and  18  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water,  suitably  widened 
at  the  bends,  be' made;  its  expenditure  to  be  conditional  upon 
the  provision  by  the  State  of  sufficient  funds  for  the  making,  by 
competent  State  authority,  of  an  accurate  survey  for  a  canal  to 

t 

afford  18  feet  depth  and  200  feet  width,  suitably  widened  at  the 
bends,  connecting  the  pool  above  the  Lawrence  dam  with  the 
channel  of  the  Merrimac  River  just  below  Ward  Hill.  Under 
no  conditions  should  the  United  States  undertake  to  make  a 
survey  above  Ward  Hill,  even  if  the  State  offers  to  defray  the 
cost;  for  the  legal  questions  as  to  State  and  federal  relationships 
to  water  powers  on  that  part  of  the  river  are  so  involved  that 
the  whole  matter  of  the  extension  above  Ward  Hill,  survey  as 
well  as  construction,  operation  and  maintenance  of  the  canal, 
should  be  strictly  the  State’s  contribution  to  the  improvement  of 
the  river. 

The  views  and  recommendations  of  Colonel  Abbott  having 
been  concurred  in  by  the  higher  authorities,  he  was  authorized 
to  undertake:  — 

a  survey  of  the  Merrimac  River  from  the  mouth  to  Ward  Hill, 
to  be  made  under  the  condition  that  the  State  shall  make  an 
accurate  survey  and  prepare  a  project,  with  estimate  of  cost,  for 
a  channel  having  a  depth  of  18  feet  and  suitable  width  from 
Ward  Hill  to  Lowell. 

It  was  further  provided,  and  stated  in  a  letter  from  Colonel 
Abbot  to  this  Board,  dated  May  28,  1913,  that:  — 

the  survey  to  be  made  by  this  office  is  to  include  studies  for  a 
channel  over  the  bar  at  the  entrance  to  the  river  of  suitable 
depth  to  accommodate  a  draft  of  17  feet  at  mean  low  water. 
The  survey  will  be  undertaken  as  soon  as  the  proper  State  au¬ 
thorities  have  given  assurance  satisfactory  to  the  Secretary  of 
War  that  the  State  will  make  an  accurate  survey  and  prepare 
the  project  and  estimated  cost  of  the  18-foot  channel  for  a 
suitable  width  from  Ward  Hill  to  Lowell. 


8 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


This  letter  was  considered  at  a  meeting  held  May  29,  1913, 
and  it  was  “  Voted,  That  this  Board,  acting  under  authority 
conferred  upon  it  by  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  and  con¬ 
tained  in  chapter  708  of  the  Acts  of  1912  and  chapter  59  of  the 
Resolves  of  1913,  make  an  accurate  survey  of  the  Merrimac 
River  from  Ward  Hill  to  Lowell,  and  that  a  project  be  pre¬ 
pared,  with  estimate  of  cost,  for  a  channel  having  a  depth  of 
18  feet  and  suitable  width  from  Ward  Hill  to  Lowell,”  in 
compliance  with  the  conditions  contained  in  said  letter. 

This  survey  and  estimate,  as  well  as  a  project  for  improve¬ 
ment,  have  been  made  and  prepared  under  the  direction  of  this 
Board,  and  are  described  later  in  this  report. 

ORIGINAL  CONDITION  OF  THE  RIVER,  AND  PROJECTS, 
SURVEYS  AND  EXAMINATIONS  BY  THE  FEDERAL  GOV¬ 
ERNMENT. 

The  Merrimac  River,  from  Franklin  in  New  Hampshire, 
flows  through  that  State  and  Massachusetts  to  the  ocean  at 
Newbury  port,  its  length  from  the  outer  end  of  the  jetties  at 
the  entrance  to  Newbury  port  harbor  to  the  boundary  line 
between  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire  being  49|  miles, 
and  its  total  length  about  110  miles. 

In  its  original  condition  there  was  a  channel  7  feet  deep  from 
its  mouth  to  South  Amesbury,  which  was  narrow,  crooked  and 
obstructed  by  ledges,  bowlders  and  shoals. 

The  early  projects  of  the  federal  government  in  1828  were 
for  structures  at  the  river  mouth  to  improve  the  bar,  and  the 
removal  of  rocks  and  other  obstructions  above  the  mouth. 

Among  the  subsequent  projects,  surveys  and  examinations 
are  those  cited  by  Col.  Frederic  V.  Abbot,  in  his  report  of 
March  26,  1913:  — 

On  Oct.  31,  1867,  Mr.  Henry  Mitchell,  Assistant,  United 
States  Coast  Survey,  submitted  a  report  in  which  he  described  a 
survey  made  under  his  direction  by  Mr.  H.  L.  Marindin,  cover¬ 
ing  Mitchells  Upper  and  Lower  Falls  and  Hazeltine  Rapids.  He 
placed  the  upper  limit  of  tidal  oscillation  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  Upper  Falls.  He  stated  that  the  river  can  be  made  navigable 
for  barges  drawing  4  feet,  without  locks  or  other  expensive 
structures.  After  the  requisite  depths  are  obtained  by  excava¬ 
tions,  the  single  difficulty  is  the  strong  currents  at  the  Rapids. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


9 


On  Aug.  16,  1869,  Gen.  J.  G.  Foster  submitted  an  estimate, 
amounting  to  $74,887.50,  for  removing  the  obstructions  at  the 
upper  and  lower  falls,  Gangway  Rock  at  Newburyport,  wreck 
of  a  coal  vessel  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  some  rocks  locally 
known  as  the  “  Boilers’’  near  the  city  wharves,  and  for  con¬ 
tingencies.  In  1870,  1871  and  1872  appropriations  aggregating 
$75,000  were  made  by  Congress,  and  Gangway  Rock  was  re¬ 
moved  to  give  a  mean  low-water  depth  of  94  feet,  the  wreck 
was  removed,  and  the  work  was  begun  and  about  half  com¬ 
pleted  at  the  lower  falls. 

In  August  and  September,  1872,  the  river  was  surveyed  by 
Lieut.  James  B.  Finn,  acting  under  the  orders  of  Lieut. -Col. 
George  Thom,  who  reported  that  the  river  could  be  improved 
“to  permit  vessels  of  20-foot  draft  to  ascend  to  Amesbury 
Ferry,  and  vessels  of  11 -foot  draft  thence  up  to  Haverhill,”  for 
$19,000;  also  that  “nearly  200  vessels,  varying  from  75  to  400 
tons  each,  passed  up  the  Merrimac  for  Salisbury,  Amesbury 
and  Haverhill.” 

In  the  annual  report  of  the  chief  of  engineers  for  1877,  page 
36,  it  is  reported  that  — 

All  the  work  projected  for  improving  the  falls  of  this  river  above  Haver¬ 
hill,  Mass.,  have  been  completed  to  the  extent  now  deemed  necessary. 
.  .  .  Between  Newburyport  and  Haverhill  the  river  has  been  improved 
by  deepening  the  shoals  and  the  removal  of  numerous  bowlders  which 
obstructed  the  channel.  .  .  . 

In  the  annual  report  of  the  chief  of  engineers  for  1882  it  is 
stated: — 

Previous  to  July  1,  1881,  the  work  done  for  the  improvement  of  this 
river  consisted  of  opening  the  channel  above  Haverhill  and  through  “the 
falls”  to  the  projected  width  and  depth  in  places  where  absolutely  neces¬ 
sary  to  make  its  navigation  practicable;  also,  in  dredging  at  Haverhill, 
between  the  bridges,  and  at  Silsby’s  Island  shoals,  as  well  as  at  Curriers 
shoal  (about  4  miles  below  Haverhill),  and  at  Rocks  bridge  (6f  miles  below 
Haverhill),  including  the  removal  of  a  large  number  of  dangerous  sunken 
rocks  at  and  near  Rocks  bridge  and  the  head  of  Silsby’s  Island;  also,  in 
Newburyport  harbor,  in  the  removal  of  Gangway  Rock  and  partial  re¬ 
moval  of  North  Rocks,  and  in  the  removal  from  the  channel  of  several 
sunken  wrecks  and  piers. 

% 

Appropriations,  including  the  river  and  harbor  acts  from 
1870  to  1882,  inclusive,  aggregate  $167,000.  This  annual 
report  contains  also  the  preliminary  examination  of  Merrimac 


10 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


River  by  Col.  George  Thom,  from  Lawrence  to  Manchester, 
N.  H.,  called  for  by  the  river  and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  1881. 
The  estimate  was  as  follows:  — 


Mitchells  Falls  to  lower  lock  at  Lawrence,  foot  depth,  . 
Lawrence  dam  to  Pawtucket  dam  at  Lowell,  4  foot  depth, 
Pawtucket  dam  to  Nashua,  N.  H.,  removing  bowlders, 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  to  Manchester,  N.  H.,  3  foot  depth,  . 


$11,000 

225,000 

8,000 

304,000 


$548,000 


This  report  was  not  adopted  by  Congress. 

In  the  annual  report  of  the  chief  of  engineers  for  1885  it  is 
stated  that:  — 

The  channel  from  the  mouth  to  the  head  of  the  Upper  Falls  has  been 
completed  in  accordance  with  the  adopted  project.  The  excess  of  ex¬ 
penditure  over  the  original  estimate  in  the  execution  of  this  work  is 
$15,670.09.  This  excess  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  about  $16,000  have 
been  expended  in  the  removal  of  rocks  and  other  obstructions  whose 
existence  was  unknown  or  whose  removal  was  not  contemplated  when 
the  original  estimate  was  made. 

Additional  work  was  recommended  in  this  report,  —  $11,500 
from  the  mouth  to  the  head  of  the  falls  and  $11,000  from  that 
point  to  the  city  of  Lawrence,  about  29  miles  from  the  mouth. 

In  the  report  of  the  chief  of  engineers  for  1888  it  is  reported: 
“  The  improved  channel  is  in  good  order,  and  meets  all  existing 
demands  of  commerce.  No  appropriation  is  recommended  for 
the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1890.”  The  appropriations 
from  1870  to  June  30,  1888,  inclusive,  aggregate  $170,500. 

In  the  report  of  the  chief  of  engineers  for  1894  it  is  stated 
that  — 

At  the  date  of  this  report  the  project  for  the  improvement  of  the  river 
is  completed,  and  the  improved  channel  is  in  good  order.  .  .  .  No  in¬ 
crease  of  the  tonnage  of  the  river  is  apparent  since  the  improvement  was 
commenced,  and  no  new  lines  of  water  transportation  have  been  estab¬ 
lished. 

Appropriations,  including  the  river  and  harbor  act  of  July 
13,  1892,  aggregate  $242,366.72,  including  $60,366.72  carried  by 
the  Acts  of  1828,  1830,  1831,  1833  and  1834,  taken  up  in  the 
report  of  the  chief  of  engineers  for  1892. 

The  river  and  harbor  act  of  Aug.  17,  1894,  directed  the 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


11 


Secretary  of  War  “to  make  a  resurvey  of  said  river,  with  a 
view  of  obtaining  a  depth  up  to  Haverhill  equal  to  that  over 
the  bar  at  Newburyport.” 

Under  date  of  Jan.  15,  1896,  Lieut.-Col.  S.  M.  Mansfield 
submitted  the  report  called  for  by  the  above  legislation.  The 
estimate  covered  a  channel  200  feet  wide  from  the  sea  to 
Newburyport,  and  150  feet  wide  thence  to  Haverhill;  the  depth 
was  12  feet  at  mean  low  water;  the  estimated  cost  was  $1,- 
496,851.07;  and  the  length  of  the  channel  was  about  20  miles, 
of  which  9|  only  required  improvement. 

The  river  and  harbor  act  of  June  3,  1896,  ordered  an  estimate 
“of  the  cost  of  improving  the  Merrimac  River,  Massachusetts, 
by  dredging  the  channel  thereof  between  Newburyport  and 
Haverhill  of  the  width  of  150  feet,  and  of  the  depth  of  7  feet 
at  mean  low  water.”  The  report  dated  May  5,  1897,  on  this 
survey  is  printed,  on  page  865,  A.R.C.  of  E.  for  1897;  the 
estimated  cost  of  the  improvement  was  $171,442.70.  The  river 
and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  1899,  adopted  this  new  project,  and 
provided  $40,000  for  initiation  of  work  thereunder.  .  .  .  The 
river  and  harbor  act,  approved  June  13,  1902,  authorized  a 
preliminary  examination  with  a  view  to  obtaining  a  depth  of  9 
feet  to  Haverhill.  The  report  on  this  examination  by  Lieut.-Col. 
W.  S.  Stanton  is  printed  in  the  annual  report  of  the  chief  of 
engineers  for  1904,  page  873,  and  was  adverse,  on  the  ground  — 

that  the  small  barges,  carrying  500  to  600  tons,  with  a  draft  of  10  to 
11  feet,  are  going  out  of  use,  and  that  larger  barges,  carrying  1,500  or 
1,600  to  2,000  tons,  with  the  draft  of  15  or  16  to  18  feet,  are  supplanting 
them.  .  .  .  So,  by  the  time  the  improvement  to  the  depth  of  9  feet  would 
be  completed,  there  seems  to  be  little  probability  that  it  would  enable 
coastwise  coal-carrying  vessels  to  ascend  to  Haverhill,  or  that  it  would 
materially  cheapen  the  cost  of  the  water  carriage  of  coal  to  that  city. 

By  June  30,  1905,  the  7-foot  channel  was  completed  up  to 
the  highway  bridge  at  Haverhill.  The  commerce,  in  1904, 
76,527  tons,  was  reported  to  have  increased  25  per  cent,  over 
the  prior  three  years;  in  1905  it  was  88,324  tons;  on  page  43, 
A.R.C.  of  E.  for  1906,  it  is  reported  that  the  delivery  of  coal 
by  water  to  river  points  ran  35  to  50  cents  less  per  ton  than  by 
rail. 

The  river  and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  1905,  contained  an 
item  ordering  “an  examination  to  be  made,  with  a  view  to 
providing  a  channel  12  feet  deep  between  the  mouth  of  the 


12 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


river  and  the  falls  above  the  city  of  Haverhill,  also  including  in 
such  examination  rocks  and  other  obstructions  at  the  mouth  of 
said  river.”  The  report  of  Col.  W.  S.  Stanton  was  adverse  to 
the  12-foot  channel  on  the  ground  that' — 

“  providing  a  channel  12  feet  deep  between  the  mouth  of  the  river  and 
the  falls  above  the  city  of  Haverhill”  would  not  enable  coal  to  be  carried 
through  it  in  ocean-going  barges,  would  not,  in  my  opinion,  be  of  bene¬ 
fit  commensurate  with  its  cost,  and  is  not  worthy  to  be  made  by  the 
United  States.  < 

Dredging  and  the  removal  of  certain  ledges  were  recom¬ 
mended  in  the  report  on  the  survey,  the  estimated  cost  being 
$62,000.  This  project  was  never  adopted  by  Congress. 

The  river  and  harbor  act  of  March  2,  1907,  called  for  a  pre¬ 
liminary  examination  and  survey  of  Merrimac  River,  Mass., 
“with  a  view  to  providing  by  locks  and  dams  a  channel  14  feet 
deep  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  the  railroad  bridge  at 
Haverhill.”  The  favorable  report  of  Lieut. -Col.  Edward  Burr 
on  this  survey  is  contained  in  H.R.  Doc.  2,  61st  Cong.,  2d  Sess. 
The  estimated  cost  was  $890,000.  The  action  of  the  War  De¬ 
partment  was  unfavorable  to  the  execution  of  the  project,  and 
it  has  not  been  adopted  by  Congress. 

In  the  annual  report  of  the  chief  of  engineers  for  1909  it  is 
stated:  “The  project  [of  1897  for  7  feet  to  Haverhill]  having 
been  completed,  it  is  proposed  to  apply  the  appropriation 
recommended  to  the  maintenance  of  the  improved  channel.” 
Since  that  time  all  work  has  been  maintenance.  Appropriations 
to  date  aggregate  $405,366.72;  the  balance  unexpended  on 
March  1,  1913,  was  $11,501.98. 

The  navigable  extent  of  the  Merrimac  River,  and  maximum 
draft  that  can  now  be  carried  at  mean  low  water,  is  shown  by 
the  report  of  Colonel  Abbot  to  be  as  follows:  — 

The  mouth  of  the  Merrimac  is  54  miles  north  of  Boston.  The 
bar  has  been  improved  by  two  jetties,  about  12  feet  being  now 
available  at  mean  low  water;  in  smooth  weather  this  affords 
safe  entrance  at  high  tide  to  coal  barges  drawing  in  the  vicinity 
of  17  feet.  Between  the  bar  and  Newburyport,  for  depths  ex¬ 
ceeding  9|  feet  at  mean  low  water,  the  channel  is  obstructed  by 
rocks  and  by  a  middle-ground  shoal,  with  a  limiting  depth  of  10 
feet  at  that  stage  of  tide;  with  these  exceptions  12  feet  can  be 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


13 


carried  safely  at  mean  low  tide  in  the  natural  channel  to  a  point 
about  half  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  Powow  River  and  about 
8  miles  from  the  ocean  bar.  A  channel  at  least  150  feet  wide 
and  7  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water  has  been  dredged  from  the 
upper  end  of  the  12-foot  natural  channel  to  the  railroad  bridge 
at  Haverhill,  a  distance  of  approximately  12  miles,  that  bridge 
being  about  16J  miles  from  Newburyport.  Above  the  railroad 
bridge  the  natural  channel  has  a  depth  of  something  like  8  feet, 
and  a  width  varying  between  50  feet  and  250  feet  for  about  1 
mile;  and  for  the  next  1,500  feet  to  the  foot  of  Hazeltine  Rapids 
a  depth  of  perhaps  3  feet  to  6  feet,  obstructed  by  bowlders. 
From  Hazeltine  Rapids  to  Lawrence  the  river  is  now  abandoned 
by  navigation,  and  people  along  the  banks  believe  that  the  4- 
foot  channel  60  feet  wide,  formerly  excavated  through  the  lower 
and  upper  falls,  has  been  filled  with  bowlders.  Above  the 
Lawrence  dam  for  about  7  miles  up  to  Richardsons  Brook  back¬ 
water  gives  gentle  current  and  sufficient  depth  for  naphtha  boats 
drawing  2  or  3  feet;  thence  to  Lowell  there  is  no  navigation, 
but  an  examination  of  the  river  was  made  from  the  banks. 
Great  numbers  of  bowlders  were  visible.  Between  Lowell  and 
the  sea,  neither  snags  nor  overhanging  trees  impede  navigation. 

Under  the  heading  “Rise  and  fall  of  water  surface,”  Colonel 
Abbot  says :  — 

At  any  point  below  Mitchells  Upper  Falls  the  elevation  of  the 
water  surface  is  dependent  at  any  given  time  upon  four  factors, 
—  two  natural  and  two  purely  artificial.  They  are  the  tidal 
stage  at  the  mouth,  the  natural  discharge  in  the  river  and  its 
tributaries,  the  effect  upon  that  discharge  of  the  operation  of  the 
mills  at  Lowell  and  Lawrence,  and  the  withdrawal  for  sanitary 
uses  of  water  from  the  Nashua  and  Sudbury  rivers,  formerly  all 
tributary  to  the  Merrimac.  The  withdrawal  of  water  is  con¬ 
trolled  by  the  Metropolitan  Water  and  Sewerage  Board,  charged 
with  the  sanitary  service  of  Boston  and  of  the  towns  lying  within 
the  metropolitan  water  district.  The  amount  withdrawn  for 
sanitary  purposes  does  not  vary  greatly  with  the  season  of  the 
year,  but  is  a  constantly  increasing  draft  upon  the  discharge 
formerly  available  for  navigation  purposes.  It  varies  with  the 
population  resident  in  the  metropolitan  district.  In  the  non- 
tidal  part  of  the  river  the  effect  of  the  mills  is  a  maximum  at  the 
time  of  low  water,  for  then  they  use  the  pools  above  the  dams 
for  pondage.  While  the  mills  are  shut  down  they  store  water  for 


14 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


use  during  the  hours  when  they  are  in  operation,  thus  reducing 
to  nothing  the  discharge  immediately  below  the  dams.  In  dis¬ 
cussing  this  pondage  Mr.  C.  W.  Thom  of  Haverhill  said  at  the 
hearing  on  Oct.  4,  1912:  — 

I  don’t  want  to  say  anything  against  Lowell  and  Lawrence.  I  suppose 
they  are  looking  after  themselves  and  must  protect  themselves.  But  I  did 
not  know  there  was  any  such  law  that  allowed  them  to  absolutely  stop  the 
flow  of  this  river.  I  suppose  they  have  so  little  water  that  they  have  to. 
But  for  the  last  three  or  four  years  I  have  been  motoring  up  here  for  the 
last  few  years,  and  I  have  seen  the  river  absolutely  cut  in  two  at  Lowell  and 
Lawrence;  not  one  drop;  the  flow  absolutely  stopped.  Dams  and  canals 
are  all  right  if  they  will  let  it  go  around  and  over  and  give  us  a  flow  down 
there.  That  would  be  all  right.  But  if  it  w'as  not  for  the  protection  of  the 
tide  we  would  have  nothing  there.  Every  week  we  would  have  absolutely 
nothing  but  mud  flats,  and  we  have  not  much  more  than  that  there  now. 
It  is  something  awful  there,  the  stench  of  the  mud. 

As  the  dams  were  built  under  State  legislation  before  the 
United  States  assumed  jurisdiction  in  such  matters,  the  legal 
situation  is  one  which  is  likely  to  give  trouble  if  there  be  an 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  to  insist,  in  the  interest 
of  navigation,  on  the  natural  flow  of  the  river.  Judging  from 
the  current  literature  in  connection  with  the  Chicago  drainage 
canal,  there  seems  to  be  equal  or  greater  question  as  to  any 
United  States  regulation  of  the  amount  withdrawn  from  the 
river  by  the  Metropolitan  Water  and  Sewerage  Board. 

Below  Mitchells  Upper  Falls  the  river  is  essentially  a  tidal 
stream  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  with  the  character¬ 
istics  during  that  period  of  such  a  stream. 

The  unusual  difficulties  of  navigation  in  various  sections  of 
the  river  are  described  by  the  engineer  officer  as  follows:  — 

The  bar  at  the  mouth  presents  the  first  difficulty.  The  river 
carries  a  certain  amount  of  sediment  for  10  miles  toward  the 
south,  and  for  many  miles  toward  the  north  the  coast  consists  of 
sandy  beaches,  forming  a  cordon  littoral  in  front  of  low-lying 
marshes.  The  beach  material  is  easily  moved  by  waves  and 
currents,  and  the  unimproved  Newburyport  bar  had  the  charac¬ 
teristics  usual  in  such  circumstances,  —  shallow  depth  (6  feet 
at  mean  low  water),  shifting  channel,  and  heavy  breakers,  except 
in  calm  weather,  which  in  this  locality  is  usual  only  from  May 
to  November;  for  the  rest  of  the  year  and  at  irregular  intervals 
sudden  storms  are  frequent.  Two  jetties  have  obtained  and 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


15 


maintained  for  some  years  a  depth  at  mean  low  water  across  the 
bar  varying  between  11  and  13  feet;  the  channel,  while  some¬ 
what  shifting,  seems  to  wander  between  more  narrow  limits 
than  formerly.  The  mean  rise  of  tide  on  the  bar  being  7.68 
feet,  17  feet  is  about  the  limit  of  safe  draft  to  which  vessels 
bound  to  Newburyport  can  be  loaded.  On  the  bar,  between  the 
jetties,  and  at  some  other  points  flood-tide  currents  are  very 
strong  at  the  very  time  when  vessels  must  enter  to  take  full 
advantage  of  the  greatest  depth.  Unless  inward-bound  vessels 
loaded  to  such  depths  reach  the  bar  just  before  high  tide,  they 
must  anchor  off  the  bar,  where  there  is  no  shelter,  and  this 
makes  navigation  hazardous  except  in  calm  weather.  The 
channel  to  Newburyport  has  about  2  feet  less  actual  depth  than 
that  over  the  bar,  but  as  there  are  no  waves  the  available  depth 
is  not  widely  different.  Several  ledges  lie  near  this  channel, 
which  is  neither  wide  nor  entirely  straight.  Near  the  city  there 
is  a  large  sand  shoal  which  is  said  to  be  somewhat  shifting  as 
to  depth  and  position  at  time  of  freshets.  Barges  drawing  17 
feet  are  sometimes  towed  in  over  the  bar  by  two  tugs,  and 
brought  up  to  the  city  by  one  tug  on  a  single  high  water.  At 
high  tide  Newburyport  now  marks  the  upper  limit  of  17  feet 
draft.  Fourteen  feet  at  high  tide  can  be  carried  up  to  Amesbury 
Ferry,  but  ocean-going  barges  of  so  small  draft  are  getting 
scarce.  For  other  river  points  all  freights,  mostly  coal,  now 
break  bulk  at  Newburyport,  are  rehandled  once  or  twice,  accord¬ 
ing  to  circumstances,  and  are  loaded  on  special  river  lighters  of 
from  4  to  8  feet  draft  and  from  35  to  240  tons  burden,  owned 
by  the  Merrimac  River  Towing  Company,  which  has  a  fleet  of 
16  of  these  lighters  and  3  tugboats.  The  cost  per  ton  is  stated 
to  be  10  cents  for  use  of  scows  and  23  cents  for  rehandling 
(H.  Doc.  339,  59th  Cong.,  2d  Sess.,  p.  4).  The  present  towage 
charge  from  Newburyport  to  Haverhill  (16  miles  by  river)  is 
stated  to  be  about  25  cents  per  ton  of  coal.  In  this  16  miles 
the  unusual  difficulties  of  navigation  are  mainly  due  to  curvature, 
comparative  narrowness  of  the  navigable  part  of  the  channel 
where  it  passes  through  areas  of  broad  open  water,  the  difficulty 
of  keeping  such  reaches  properly  marked  by  buoys  or  beacons, 
due  to  floods,  swift  currents  and  drifting  ice,  and  the  necessity 
of  having  the  tug  and  tow  start  just  before  the  crest  of  the  flood 
tide  is  reached  at  Newburyport,  and  “carry  that  tide  up  the 
river.”  To  do  this,  the  rate  of  progress  of  the  vessels  must  be 
as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  as  that  of  the  crest  of  the  tidal 
wave,  in  order  to  keep  the  greatest  available  depth  of  water 


16 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


under  them  as  they  ascend  the  stream.  If  under  these  con¬ 
ditions  the  tow  accidentally  grounds  on  rocky  or  uneven  bottom, 
the  tide  begins  to  fall  almost  immediately,  and  both  the  strain 
on  the  grounded  vessel  and  the  delay  are  a  maximum,  for  the 
boat  will  not  float  again  for  nearly  thirteen  hours,  and  the  tide 
will  fall  the  full  range  at  that  place. 

In  1905  the  ponding  of  water  in  the  pools  above  the  dams  at 
Lawrence,  Lowell  and  Nashua  was  the  subject  of  complaint 
under  section  10,  river  and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  1899.  In¬ 
vestigation  showed  that  while  the  mills  were  shut  down  on 
Saturday  afternoons  and  Sundays  the  entire  fresh-water  flow  of 
the  river  was  stopped,  at  times,  for  over  twenty-four  hours.  The 
power  company  claimed  that,  due  to  its  large  reservoirs  further 
up  the  river,  and  its  careful  utilization  of  all  available  water, 
more  water  had  actually  flowed  in  the  five  dry  months  (June  to 
October  inclusive)  than  had  been  the  case  for  twenty  years  be¬ 
fore  the  act  of  March  3,  1899,  became  law.  Observations  at 
Haverhill  on  Aug.  26  and  27,  1905,  by  a  United  States  inspector, 
indicated  that  the  tide  was  15  inches  lower  on  Sundav  than  on 

t / 

a  weekday,  probably  due  to  ponding.  As  a  final  result  of  the 
complaint  no  legal  prosecution  of  the  power  company  was  made 
in  view  of  an  opinion  of  the  local  United  States  attorney,  dated 
July  7,  1906,  to  the  effect  that  there  was  doubt  as  to  the  appli¬ 
cability  of  the  statute  to  dams  constructed  long  before  the  passage 
of  the  act  under  which  complaint  was  made.  By  lowering  the 
height  of  the  high  water,  ponding  constitutes  a  real  and  unusual 
difficulty  of  navigation.  If  the  above  opinion  of  the  district 
attorney  be  correct,  there  may  be  considerable  doubt  of  the  right 
of  the  United  States,  without  compensation,  to  take  water  for 
lockage  purposes  from  the  pool  created  by  the  Lawrence  dam. 
For  long  periods  every  cubic  foot  of  water  so  diverted  from  the 
pool  would  be  an  absolute  loss  to  the  power  companies;  this  is 
proved  by  the  following  quotation  from  page  9  of  their  protest 
against  a  bill  introduced  in  1907  in  the  Massachusetts  General 
Court  to  require  them  to  construct  a  safeguard  above  their 
Lawrence  dam:  — 

Except  for  a  short  time  after  heavy  rains  there  is  generally  no  water  running 
over  the  dam.  All  that  comes  down  the  river  is  drawn  into  the  canals  and 
used  in.  manufacturing.  Sometimes  for  a  month  or  six  weeks  continuously 
no  water  wastes  over  the  dam,  days,  nights  or  Sundays. 

Between  Haverhill  and  Lawrence  there  is  no  navigation  at  all, 
except  for  pleasure  purposes,  and  the  danger  of  submerged 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


17 


bowlders,  swift  currents  and  the  lack  of  any  objective  point 
which  can  be  reached  except  for  picnic  purposes  have  rendered 
even  this  use  very  slight.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the 
city  to  the  foot  of  Hazeltine  Rapids  was  as  far  as  a  naphtha 
boat  could  be  hired  to  go  at  the  time  of  inspection;  for  the 
upper  half  of  that  distance  rocks  and  bowlders  made  great  watch¬ 
fulness  necessary  to  avoid  breaking  the  propeller  or  grounding 
outside  of  the  unmarked  channel.  At  the  time  of  summer  low 
water  the  river  from  this  point  to  the  dam  at  Lawrence  becomes 
a  series  of  detached  ponds  whenever  the  natural  flow  is  stopped 
by  shutting  down  the  mills. 

At  low  stages  the  channel  in  the  7-mile  pool  formed  by  the 
Lawrence  dam  has  considerable  depth  and  gentle  current  for  the 
lower  5  miles;  for  the  next  2  miles  it  is  obstructed  by  large 
bowlders;  from  that  point  to  the  lower  lock  to  the  Pawtucket 
canal  in  the  city  of  Lowell,  a  distance  of  about  a  mile  and  a 
half,  there  is  no  practicable  channel,  the  river  being  a  succession 
of  rapids  called  Hunts  Falls,  the  fall  in  that  distance  being 
about  12  feet.  In  the  lower  5  miles  of  the  Lawrence  pool  there 
is  considerable  pleasure  boating,  but  no  freight  traffic  so  far  as 
could  be  learned. 

Water  Power,  Co-operation,  etc.  —  The  river  and  harbor  act 
approved  July  25,  1912,  requires  this  report:  — 

to  contain  such  data  as  it  may  be  practicable  to  secure  in  regard  to  .  .  . 
the  development  and  utilization  of  water  power  for  industrial  and  commercial 
purposes  .  .  .  Provided  that  .  .  .  consideration  shall  be  given  only  to  their 
bearing  upon  the  improvement  of  navigation,  to  the  possibility  and  desira¬ 
bility  of  their  being  co-ordinated  in  a  logical  and  proper  manner  with  im¬ 
provements  for  navigation  to  lessen  the  cost  of  such  improvements  and  to 
compensate  the  government  for  expenditures  made  in  the  interest  of  naviga¬ 
tion,  and  to  their  relation  to  the  development  and  regulation  of  commerce. 

The  original  intent  of  this  legislation  was  probably  to  cover 
the  creation  of  new  water  powders  as  part  of  work  in  aid  of 
navigation,  but  its  wording  is  such  as  to  justify  a  very  careful 
study  of  the  question  of  utilizing,  so  far  as  may  be  economical 
and  legal,  the  existing  Merrimac  River  water-power  developments. 
The  darns  and  locks  on  the  Merrimac  River  were  originally 
authorized  under  a  charter  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts  (Vol.  1, 
Chap.  382,  Special  Laws  of  Mass.)  which  was  passed  Jan.  27, 
1792,  the  preamble  reading:  — 


IS 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Whereas,  removing  the  obstructions  to  the  passing  of  boats,  rafts  and 
masts  upon  Merrimack  River,  from  the  divisional  line  of  New  Hampshire 
and  Massachusetts  to  the  tide  waters  of  the  said  river,  will  be  of  great  public 
utility.  .  .  . 

Subsequent  acts  permit  purchase  of  mills  and  control  of  water 
powers  (Jan.  27,  1825);  require  the  maintenance  of  free  landings 
(act  of  April  7,  1835);  acknowledge  a  quasi-proprietary  right  in 
the  Locks  and  Canals  Company  to  the  water  in  the  river,  by  a 
provision  that  the  water  taken  by  the  city  of  Lowell  shall  not 
be  sold  for  power  purposes  except  to  generate  steam  (chapter 
435,  Acts  of  1855);  remove  the  requirement  to  maintain  and 
keep  up  free  landings  (chapter  106,  Acts  of  1889,  and  chapter 
238,  Acts  of  1900);  and  as  late  as  May,  1905,  chapter  385, 
prohibit  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  and  others  “in  any 
manner  obstructing  the  free  flow  of  water  through  said  canal  or 
the  free  passage  of  boats  and  rafts  therein.” 

The  State  had  thus  for  over  one  hundred  and  twenty-one 
years  defined  and  prescribed  limitations  as  to  the  purpose  and 
use  of  the  flowing  water  in  the  Merrimac  River,  guarding  on  the 
one  hand  the  rights  of  navigation,  and  on  the  other  the  rights 
to  the  power  produced  by  the  dams  now  owned  by  the  Essex 
Company.  In  this  connection  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Taft,  Secretary 
of  War,  given  on  Feb.  23,  1907,  in  connection  with  the  Des 
Plaines  River,  is  of  interest:  — 

If  the  State  has  any  control  over  the  water  power,  which  it  may  exercise 
in  conflict  with  the  claimed  rights  of  the  riparian  owner,  then  it  must  exercise 
itself,  through  its  own  legislation  and  through  its  own  executive  officers. 
All  the  United  States  does,  assuming  it  to  be  a  navigable  stream,  is  merely 
to  protect  the  navigation  of  the  stream.  With  reference  to  the  water  power, 
it  has  no  function  except  in  respect  to  water  power  which  it  itself  creates  by  its 
own  investment  in  property  that  it  itself  owns;  and  then,  of  course,  it  may  say 
how  that  water  power  shall  be  used.  But  with  respect  to  the  water  power 
on  a  navigable  stream,  which  may  be  exercised  without  interference  with  the 
use  of  the  river,  for  navigation  purposes,  that  is  controlled  by  the  laws  of  the 
State.  It  is  controlled  by  the  riparian  ownership  and  by  the  common  law  as 
it  governs  those  rights. 


(See  also  report  of  sub-committee  on  dams  and  water  power  to 
committee  on  interstate  and  foreign  commerce,  House  of  Rep¬ 
resentatives,  60th  Cong.,  2d  Sess.,  Feb.  25,  1909.) 

If  the  United  States  had  built  the  dam  under  its  power  to 
regulate  navigation,  there  is  little  question  of  its  right  to  charge 
for  the  power  artificially  developed  by  its  structure.  As  stated 


1914.] 


19 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 

in  congressional  debates,  it  cbuld  have  appointed  an  agent  and 
have  made  any  agreements  with  such  agent  for  his  compensation, 
and  for  repaying  to  the  United  States  the  money  put  into  the 
work,  -which  in  making  navigation  possible  also  created  valuable 
power.  Such  an  agreement  was,  in  fact,  made  by  the  Common¬ 
wealth  of  Massachusetts  with  its  agent  the  Locks  and  Canals  Com¬ 
pany,  when  by  special  law  of  Jan.  27,  1825,  it  allowed  that 
company  to  acquire  mills,  real  estate,  and  to  conduct  manu¬ 
facturing  operations,  enabling  the  company  to  derive  revenue 
from  water  passing  its  dam  in  excess  of  the  needs  of  navigation, 
this  being  virtually  a  payment  by  the  Commonwealth  in  view  of 
the  money  expended  by  the  agent  of  the  Commonwealth  in 
originally  building  the  dams  for  navigation.  The  Common¬ 
wealth  derived  its  benefits  in  the  shape  of  navigation  at  reason¬ 
able  toll  rates  established  by  its  own  statutes.  The  Locks  and 
Canals  Company  derived  income  from  the  tolls,  upon  which  alone 
it  originally  depended  for  its  income,  and  later  from  the  sale  of 
water  power.  In  order  to  pass  the  Lawrence  dam  the  United 
States  must  construct  a  canal  connecting  with  the  pool  above 
that  dam;  by  such  connection  it  will  derive  much  benefit  from 
the  artificially  created  depth  above  the  dam,  thereby  gaining  an 
unknown  but  great  reduction  in  the  cost  of  creating  a  deep 
channel  to  Lowell.  To  operate  its  canal  it  must  use  water  for 
lockage,  the  lockage  water  being  drawn  from  a  level  higher  than 
the  natural  level  of  the  river  surface  at  Lawrence,  by  an  amount 
at  least  equal  to  the  height  of  the  dam.  By  a  high-level  canal 
carrying  the  upper  pool  level  down  the  south  side  of  the  river 
to  a  point  below  Mitchells  Falls,  and  there  locking  down  into 
the  tidal  river,  the  United  States  can  save  the  cost  of  much  rock 
excavation  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  which  would  be  unavoidable 
if  the  Lawrence  dam  were  nonexistent.  Before  recommending 
such  utilization  of  the  high-level  pool,  it  has  seemed  necessary  to 
study  and  quote  such  opinions  and  decisions  bearing  directly  on 
the  relative  rights  and  powers  of  the  United  States  and  the 
several  States  as  were  accessible  to  the  district  officer  making 
this  report.  Up  to  this  time  the  claim  of  the  United  States  to 
water  in  a  river  has  been  held  to  be  paramount  where  such 
water  is  used  solely  for  navigation  purposes;  with  a  possible  ex¬ 
ception  being  water  needed  for  sanitary  uses  (see  the  case  of  the 
Chicago  Drainage  Canal).  Does  this  paramount  right  cover  the 
utilizing  at  this  late  day  of  the  increased  level  of  the  water  in 
the  pool  created  by  the  present  Lawrence  dam,  which  was  legally 
constructed  about  1848  by  the  State  of  Massachusetts  through 


20 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


a  legally  appointed  agent,  long  prior  to  any  act  of  Congress 
asserting  the  superior  right  of  the  United  States?  The  State 
created  the  pool  originally  for  navigation  only,  but  later,  for 
valuable  considerations,  permitted  all  water  in  the  pool  not 
needed  by  the  State  for  its  navigation  to  be  used  for  power 
development  by  private  parties. 

Would  the  withdrawal  for  navigation  purposes  of  water  from 
the  pool  by  the  United  States  constitute  a  “taking”  for  public 
use,  for  which  payment  should  be  made?  Could  such  a  claim 
be  made  either  by  the  State  or  by  its  agent  the  power  company? 

In  the  State  of  Ohio  a  decision  of  the  State  Supreme  Court, 
based  on  the  common  law,  similar  to  that  in  force  in  Massa¬ 
chusetts,  reads: — 

Hence  the  State,  in  its  exercise  of  the  right  of  eminent  domain,  can  subject 
the  waters  of  such  stream  to  other  public  uses  the  same  as  any  other  private 
property,  by  making  a  just  compensation  for  the  injuiy,  and  not  otherwise. 

Citing  this  decision  in  the  debate  on  the  Connecticut  dam  bill 
(p.  3171,  Congressional  Record,  1913),  it  was  stated:  — 

That  means  the  State  can  authorize  that  right  to  be  secured  by  condem¬ 
nation  proceedings  in  behalf  of  a  superior  public  purpose.  For  instance,  to 
illustrate  water  power  is  created,  in  the  first  instance,  to  operate  a  gristmill  or 
a  sawmill,  and  eventually  a  big  town  or  city  .  .  .  may  need  the  water  in 
that  dam  for  domestic  use  to  supply  its  inhabitants.  That,  under  the  cir¬ 
cumstances,  would  be  a  superior  public  right,  and  the  State  could  authorize 
the  property  of  the  wTater  power  company  to  be  condemned  for  that  purpose, 
but  it  could  not  take  it  absolutely  without  compensation. 

The  closely  related  subject,  Can  the  United  States  charge 
power  companies  for  the  privilege  of  building  dams  and  creating 
power  in  navigable  streams,  has  been  at  issue  between  Congress 
and  the  Executive  for  over  four  years,  and  many  of  the  argu¬ 
ments  apply  to  the  present  question.  The  veto  of  several  dam 
bills,  and  on  May  23,  1908,  the  passage  of  the  Rainy  River  dam 
act  over  such  a  veto,  have  a  direct  bearing.  In  a  committee 
report  dated  Feb.  25,  1909,  the  committee  on  interstate  and 
foreign  commerce,  House  of  Representatives,  discussing  the 
subject  of  a  general  dam  law,  say:  — 

These  immense  natural  resources  .  .  .  should  be  developed  for  the  rea- 
welfare  of  the  country,  and  not  solely  for  the  benefit  of  those  few  individ¬ 
uals  who  had  the  shrewdness  and  foresight  to  acquire  such  property  rights 
as  may  be  sufficient  to  dominate  and  utilize  mostly  for  themselves  those 
privileges.  At  the  same  time,  due  regard  must  be  had  to  the  private  rights 
which  such  individuals  may  have  acquired,  and  of  which  they  can  not  be 
deprived  without  due  process  of  law. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — Xo.  2169. 


21 


This  report  is  noteworthy  because  it  expresses  the  views  of  an 
important  House  committee  after  it  had  been  considering  nearly 
ten  months  the  veto  message  of  April  13,  1908,  in  which  the 
President  said:  — 

The  present  policy  in  making  these  grants  is  unwise  in  giving  away  the 
property  of  the  people  in  the  flowing  waters  to  individuals  or  organizations, 
etc. 


The  Congressional  Record  for  February  and  March,  1913, 
contains  valuable  data  on  the  subject,  in  connection  with  the 
Connecticut  River  dam  bill  (S.  8033)  which  passed  the  Senate 
Feb.  17,  1913  (74  yeas,  12  nays,  9  not  voting);  it  contained  a 
clause  requiring  an  annual  charge  to  be  paid  to  the  United 
States  by  the  power  company.  A  charge  by  the  United  States 
against  the  owners  of  the  same  Connecticut  dam  was  an  item 
in  the  river  and  harbor  bill  (H.R.  28180)  when  it  passed  the 
Senate.  A  similar  charge  was  a  feature  in  another  item  regarding 
power  derived  from  a  dam  built  by  the  United  States  in  the 
Mississippi  River,  near  St.  Paul,  Minn.  Both  items  went  out 
in  conference,  on  account  of  pronounced  objection  on  the  part  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  to  making  such  a  charge;  all  this 
accentuates  the  likelihood  of  congressional  opposition  to  an 
item  in  a  river  and  harbor  bill  involving  a  possibility  that  the 
United  States  might  have  to  pay  a  power  company  for  the  use  of 
the  high-level  pools  constituting  already  improved  reaches  of 
the  Merrimac  River,  although  in  the  first  instance  these  pools 
were,  in  good  faith,  created  solely  for  navigation  purposes.  That 
grave  doubt  still  exists  as  to  the  relations  between  the  federal 
and  State  governments  in  connection  with  the  control  of  water 
powers  is  emphasized  by  the  following  remarks  of  Senator 
Brandegee  on  the  Connecticut  River  dam  bill  (p.  2748,  Con¬ 
gressional  Record  for  February,  1913): — 

Perhaps  half  the  lawyers  in  the  Senate  think  one  way  and  the  other  half 
the  other  on  this  question;  perhaps  the  court  itself  may  divide;  but  we  cer¬ 
tainly  can  never  arrive  anywhere  in  the  development  of  our  water  power, 
which  is  now  running  to  waste  all  over  the  country,  by  having  the  Chief  Exec¬ 
utive  veto  all  the  bills  that  we  pass  which  do  not  contain  a  provision  for  some 
sort  of  compensation,  and  by  having  one  House  or  the  other  block  their  passage 
if  they  do  contain  it. 

Massachusetts  is  not  one  of  the  States  in  which  it  has  been 
established  as  a  rule  of  property,  governing  riparian  land,  that 
more  priority  of  occupation  or  appropriation  gives  rights  superior 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


99 

to  those  of  the  riparian  owner  in  the  beneficial  use  of  the  wa¬ 
ters  and  the  beds  of  streams.  The  water-power  developments 
at  Lawrence  appear  to  be  owned  subject  to  the  common  law 
(slightly  modified),  just  as  was  the  case  with  the  Connecticut 
River  dam. 

In  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  on  the  14-foot  water¬ 
way  from  Chicago  to  St.  Louis  (H.R.  Doc.  263,  p.  11,  59th 
Cong.,  1st  Sess.),  it  is  stated:  — 

It  is  the  opinion  of  the  Board  that  the  sanitary  reasons  for  the  abstraction 
of  water  so  far  exceed  and  overshadow  the  commercial  reasons  that  the 
amount  should  be  strictly  limited  by  the  sanitary  necessities  of  the  case. 

This  has  a  bearing  on  the  question  of  the  abstraction  by  the 
Metropolitan  Water  and  Sewerage  Board  of  drinking  water 
from  the  tributaries  of  the  Merrimac  River,  of  which  complaint 
was  made  at  the  hearing  in  Lawrence  as  being  a  cause  of  ex¬ 
treme  low  water  in  the  river.  At  the  Lawrence  hearing  and  in 
the  circular  distributed  thereat  an  attempt  was  made  to  learn 
whether  any  charge  would  be  attempted  by  the  Essex  Company 
for  such  water  as  might  be  required  by  the  United  States  for 
lockage  past  the  Lawrence  dam,  but  absolutely  no  reply  was 
obtained.  It  has  since  been  impossible  to  get  an  expression  of 
opinion  on  this  subject  from  any  one  in  authority.  Whether  the 
Metropolitan  Board  pays  the  Essex  Company  for  the  water 
they  now  prevent  from  entering  the  Concord  River  is  not  knowm. 
The  Nashua  and  Concord  rivers  lie  whollv  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts,  and  their  waters  apparently  come  under  the 
reasoning  of  Mr.  Justice  Brewer  in  the  case  of  U.  S.  v.  Rio 
Grande  (174  U.  S.  709),  where  he  says,  regarding  the  Croton 
River:  — 

Its  waters  are  taken  by  the  State  of  New  York  for  domestic  uses  in  the 
city  of  New  York.  Unquestionably  the  State  of  New  York  has  a  right  to 
appropriate  its  waters,  and  the  United  States  may  not  question  such  appro¬ 
priation  unless  thereby  the  navigation  of  the  Hudson  be  disturbed. 

Before  the  United  States  appropriates  money  for  a  project 
involving  the  use  of  the  pool  above  the  Lawrence  dam  for 
navigation  and  of  water  from  that  pool  for  lockages  in  a  canal 
below  the  dam,  this  right  to  use  without  compensation  should 
be  definitely  settled. 

If  the  improvement  were  stopped  below  the  dam  at  Lawrence, 
and  navigation  to  that  point  was  provided  for  by  excavation 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


9Q 

—  *J 

and  not  by  a  dam  on  the  river  below,  as  proposed  in  H.R.  No. 
9,  62d  Cong.,  1st  Sess.,  the  water  surface  below  the  Lawrence 
dam  wmuld  be  dropped  about  10  feet,  the  fall  at  the  time  of  low 
water  being  thus  increased  from  about  27  feet  to  about  37  feet, 
and  the  power  available  in  like  ratio.  In  view  of  this  increase  in 
available  power,  an  effort  was  made  to  learn  whether  the  Essex 
Company  would  contribute  funds  to  assist  in  the  creation  of 
such  an  excavated  channel.  No  formal  reply  was  made,  but  it 
was  intimated  that  it  would  cost  so  much  to  lower  their  wheel 
pits  that  no  financial  benefit  would  result  to  the  mills,  and  there¬ 
fore  no  co-operation  could  be  looked  for  from  that  source.  It 
has  been  held  generally  that  backing  up  water  so  as  to  lessen 
the  available  fall  at  a  power  dam  by  the  construction  of  a  new 
dam  lower  down  the  river  is  a  taking  of  power  for  which  payment 
is  due  the  owner  of  the  original  power  dam;  that  this  applied  in 
equity  to  the  United  States  was  recognized  in  the  project  of 
Col.  Edward  Burr  for  a  14-foot  channel  to  Haverhill,  to  be 
produced  by  a  dam  at  Lions  Mouth,  and  for  that  reason  the 
crest  of  his  dam  was  kept  down  to  11.14  feet  above  mean  low 
water  at  Black  Rocks  Beacon.  On  the  ground  that  a  14-foot 
channel  was  too  shallow  for  coastwise  barges  of  the  present 
type,  and  deeper  than  would  be  needed  for  purely  river  naviga¬ 
tion  in  suitably  designed  river  barges,  since  locally  recognized 
as  true  by  all  parties,  that  project  was  not  approved  by  the 
War  Department  or  taken  up  by  Congress.  To  give  a  deeper 
channel  than  14  feet  to  Haverhill  without  producing  backwater 
at  the  Lawrence  tailraces  would  involve  at  least  3  feet  of  exca¬ 
vation.  With  the  crest  of  a  dam  at  Lions  Mouth  at  reference 
11.14  all  authorities  agree  that  small  discharge  at  low  stages  and 
drowning  out  at  high  water  would  render  unmarketable  and 
useless  any  power  developed  by  that  dam.  As  a  summary  of 
the  water-power  situation  it  appears  that  the  United  States 
might  have  to  pay  high  for  anything  adversely  affecting  existing 
water-power  installations,  and  that  at  this  time  no  assistance, 
financial  or  otherwise,  can  be  expected  by  the  United  States 
from  power  developed  or  to  be  developed  in  connection  with  the 
improvement  of  navigation. 

Worthy  or  Not  Worthy.  —  This  crucial  question  includes  many 
factors  which  can  be  approximated  only  within  wide  and  un¬ 
certain  limits  without  expenditures  for  surveys.  [Here  Colonel 
Abbot  inserts  data  bearing  on  the  subject,  collected,  compiled 
and  furnished  him  by  this  Board.] 

Where  such  a  mass  of  testimony  is  available  it  is  not  easy  to 


24 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


present  a  just  summary,  but  it  is,  perhaps,  not  unfair  to  state 
that  (1)  the  river  is  now  utilized  to  its  last  drop  for  manufactur¬ 
ing;  (2)  millions  of  private  funds  are  invested  in  the  dams, 
canals  and  factories;  (3)  dependent  on  the  mills  and  living  be¬ 
tween  Haverhill  and  Lowell  is  a  population  probably  more  dense 
than  anywhere  else  along  an  equal  number  of  miles  of  river, 
navigable  or  not,  in  the  United  States;  (4)  conditions  of  manu¬ 
facturing  are  such  that  much  of  this  dense  population  consists  of 
foreigners  of  small  means,  in  need  of  cheap  fuel  and  cheap  food; 
(5)  not  only  is  a  large  population  of  foreign  origin  concentrated 
in  this  area,  but  the  capital  locally  invested  in  manufacturing  is 
very  large;  (6)  agricultural  matters  hardly  enter  appreciably 
into  the  question,  the  river  farms  being  within  hauling  distance 
of  the  cities  on  the  river;  (7)  the  total  length  of  river  under 
consideration  is  only  about  38  miles,  and  the  annual  value  of 
manufactures  along  the  upper  18  miles,  the  part  above  Haverhill, 
aggregates  $126,186,855,  or  at  the  rate  of  about  $7,000,000  per 
mile  per  annum;  (8)  a  project  forms  no  part  of  a  preliminary 
examination,  but  sufficient  facts  have  been  obtained  for  this 
office,  by  the  State  Board,  to  make  it  probable  that  at  great  cost 
deep-water  navigation  can  be  made  physically  possible  to  Lowell, 
or  at  least  to  the  foot  of  Hunts  Falls,  a  mile  and  a  half  only 
below  Lowell,  within  easy  auto  truck  hauling  of  all  coal  con¬ 
sumers  in  that  city;  (9)  the  river  is  closed  by  ice  for  three  or 
four  months  a  year;  (10)  no  matter  what  is  done  artificially  to 
better  matters,  freshets  and  violent  currents  prevent  navigation 
for  perhaps  another  month;  (11)  full  commercial  advantage  has 
been  taken  of  the  water  so  far  provided  to  Haverhill;  (12)  above 
the  point  where  the  tide  ebbs  and  flows  no  fresh-water  discharge 
is  available  for  days  at  a  time  in  the  open  river  season;  (13) 
with  small  appropriations  work  up  to  this  time  has  been  piece¬ 
meal,  has  been  executed  with  dredges  so  small  as  to  be  un¬ 
economical  in  every  way,  and  without  suitable  provisions  for 
safe  disposal  of  dredge  spoil;  (14)  if  deep  excavation  were  under¬ 
taken  large  dredges  could  work,  and  cheaper  prices  per  yard 
might  make  the  cost  of  a  deep  channel  less  than  the  comparison 
of  yards  to  be  removed  would  indicate.  .  .  . 

Present  depths  on  this  bar  at  Newburyport  appear  to  be 
sufficient  for  any  commerce  likely  to  develop,  and  to  be  success¬ 
fully  maintained  by  the  present  jetties;  to  secure  greater  depths 
would  require  their  extension  to  a  more  or  less  indefinite  extent, 
with  considerable  doubt  as  to  ultimate  results.  It  is  recom¬ 
mended,  therefore,  that  the  present  depths  on  the  bar  be  adopted 


1914.]  • 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


25 


as  the  maximum  limit  for  the  improvement  of  the  estuary  and 
river  above.  The  present  bar  admits  steamers  and  barges  of  17 
feet  draft  at  high  tide.  After  passing  over  the  bar  the  channel 
must  be  of  a  depth  to  permit  such  barges  to  reach  a  point  of 
safe  anchorage  on  the  same  tide  on  which  they  passed  the  bar. 
From  that  point  upstream  convenience  demands  17  feet  draft 
in  the  channel  at  low  tide,  but  existing  commerce  shows  that 
navigation  can  persist  here  even  up  to  drafts  nearly  equalling  the 
depths  available  at  high  tide,  because  the  progress  of  the  tidal  wave 
up  the  Merrimac  River  is  not  far  different  from  that  at  which  tugs 
can  tow  barges.  If  17  feet  draft  at  mean  low  water  be  adopted 
for  the  inside  channel,  it  would  provide  uninterrupted  navigation 
for  the  deepest  barges  or  steamers  that  now  enter  over  the  bar. 
In  case  the  present  jetties  eventually  secure  depths  over  the 
bar  even  as  great  as  21  or  22  feet,  a  low-wrater  channel  accommo¬ 
dating  17-foot  draft  vessels  in  the  bay  and  river  would  permit 
the  deepest  vessels  that  could  then  enter  to  proceed  “on  the 
tide”  as  far  upstream  as  the  tidal  range  remained  as  great  as 
4  or  5  feet.  For  a  decision  as  to  worthiness  or  unworthiness,  it 
seems  wise  to  adopt  for  the  tidal  part  of  the  stream  a  channel 
which  at  mean  low  water  would  have  a  minimum  width  of  200 
feet  and  a  minimum  depth  of  18  feet,  such  width  and  depth 
being  considered  suitable  for  boats  of  maximum  draft  of  17 
feet,  for  which  the  channel  is  designed.  Tidal  oscillation  now 
ceases  at  Mitchells  Falls,  but  prior  studies  indicate  that  resort 
to  slack-water  navigation  may  be  necessary  several  miles  below 
that  point,  on  account  of  the  cost  of  excavation.  The  $890,000 
estimate  corresponds  with  a  depth  in  open  channel  of  14  feet  to 
Lions  Mouth,  and  14  feet  slack  water  above  to  Haverhill,  the 
level  of  the  pool  being  so  selected  as  to  avoid  interference  with 
the  tailraces  at  Lawrence,  and  the  dam  being  of  the  movable 
type  to  give  greater  assurance  against  excessive  backwater  in 
time  of  freshets.  As  the  pool  level  cannot  be  raised  higher  than 
in  the  14-foot  project,  the  adoption  of  17-feet  draft,  using  a  dam 
at  Lions  Mouth,  would  involve  excavation  in  excess  of  the  14- 
foot  project  wherever  that  project  did  not  provide  excess  depths, 
for  instance  in  the  upper  portion  of  the  pool  formed  by  the  dam 
at  Lions  Mouth,  and  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  tidal 
section  below  that  dam;  from  data  now  available  exact  esti¬ 
mates  cannot  be  made  for  either  portion,  as  the  character  of 
material  to  be  removed  can  only  be  determined  by  boring 
sufficiently  to  develop  the  amount  of  rock  in  place.  The  selection 
of  Lions  Mouth  as  the  upper  limit  of  an  open  dredged  channel 
for  vessels  of  17-foot  draft  is  subject  to  considerable  doubt, 


26 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


however.  That  depth  will  admit  vessels  of  much  greater  tonnage 
than  the  14-foot  project,  and  below  Lions  Mouth  there  is  some 
very  crooked  and  swift  river,  hard  to  negotiate  with  such  large 
craft  unless  it  be  included  in  the  pool  of  a  dam  further  down¬ 
stream.  By  statute  Haverhill  marks  the  upper  limit  of  the  14- 
foot  channel,  and  by  calling  for  a  new  survey  extending  higher 
up  the  river  Congress  has  apparently  approved  the  finding  of 
the  War  Department,  that  14  feet  to  Haverhill  is  not  worth 
$890,000,  and  called  for  further  study  of  the  general  question 
of  cost  and  value  of  deep  water  in  the  Merrimac  valley,  including 
Lawrence  and  Lowell  in  the  problem.  .  .  . 

In  the  above  discussion  nothing  has  been  said  as  to  possible 
reduction  in  cost  by  providing  a  less  depth  in  the  upper  reaches. 
No  recommendation  for  such  a  reduction  can  be  made;  it 
simply  transfers  from  Newburyport  to  some  place  higher  up  the 
river  the  point  where  bulk  cargoes  of  coal  must  be  rehandled, 
and  marks  the  limit  of  regular  steamer  service  to  Boston  and 
New  York.  The  cost  of  rehandling,  the  poor  economy  of  small 
craft  as  compared  with  large,  and  the  impossibility  of  profitably 
running  river  steamers  for  passenger  and  package  freight  for  the 
few  miles  of  river  between  Lowell  and  the  mouth,  seem  to  make 
such  reduction  of  depth  in  upper  reaches  entirely  impractical. 

As  a  unit  by  itself  the  Merrimac  River  has  no  apprecia¬ 
ble  value,  its  improvement  as  part  of  a  route  from  the  cities 
on  its  banks  to  Boston,  New  York  and  the  south  has  much 
value.  Whether  that  value  is  commensurate  with  the  cost  in¬ 
volved  can  only  be  known  by  an  actual  survey,  with  numerous 
borings  and  accurate  levels.  The  possibilities  seem  so  great  that 
I  report  without  hesitation  that  the  river  is  worthy  of  the  cost 
of  such  a  survey  up  to  Ward  Hill,  about  a  mile  above  Haverhill. 
Above  that  point  the  surveys  should  be  at  State  expense,  as 
they  are  to  do  the  work  if  the  above  recommendations  are 
adopted  by  Congress. 

STATISTICAL  MATTER  COLLECTED  AND  COMPILED  BY 
THE  MERRIMAC  VALLEY  WATERWAY  BOARD. 

Cities  and  Towns  on  Merrimac  River,  Population, 

Valuation,  etc. 

Bordering  on  the  banks  of  the  Merrimac  River  are  the  cities 
of  Newburyport,  Haverhill,  Lawrence  and  Lowell,  and  the 
towns  of  Salisbury,  Amesbury,  Newbury,  West  Newbury, 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


27 


Merrimac,  Groveland,  North  Andover,  Methuen,  Andover, 
Dracut,  Tewksbury,  Chelmsford  and  Tyngsborough. 

Under  the  name  of  each  of  these  localities  is  given  all  sta¬ 
tistical  and  other  information  resulting  from  investigations 
made  by  this  Board,  including  extracts  from  advance  sheets 
of  the  reports  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  and  of  the  Tax 
Commissioner  of  the  State,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  director  of 
said  Bureau  and  said  commissioner  respectively;  stenographic 
reports  of  public  hearings;  report  of  Col.  Frederic  V.  x4bbot, 
and  other  data  pertinent  to  this  inquiry. 

Preliminary  to  personal  interviews,  the  following  circular 
letters  were  prepared  and  forwarded.  The  answers  received 
have  been  summarized,  and  appear  under  the  names  of  the 
several  localities. 


Boston,  November,  1912. 

(1)  What  amount  of  coal  per  year  brought  by  rail  is  now  used  by  you, 
and  what  is  the  approximate  freight  charge  to  you  per  ton,  or  what  is 
the  cost  per  ton  of  coal  delivered  to  you? 

(2)  What,  in  jmur  opinion,  would  be  the  saving  in  cost  to  you,  per  ton, 
if  the  coal  which  you  require  could  be  brought  by  water  instead  of  by 
rail? 

(3)  What  amount  of  freight,  other  than  coal,  is  now  brought  to  you  by 
rail  per  year? 

(4)  What,  in  your  opinion,  would  be  the  saving  to  you,  in  freight 
charges,  if  the  same  kind  of  freight  could  be  brought  by  water  instead 
of  by  rail? 

(5)  What  amount  of  freight  is  now  shipped  by  you  by  rail  which  could 
be  shipped  by  water  if  the  Merrimac  River  is  improved  to  the  extent  of 
providing  an  adequate  channel  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  Lowell? 

(6)  Do  you  own,  lease  or  occupy  a  wharf  or  landing  place  on  the  Merri¬ 
mac  River  adapted  to  use  for  the  receipt  and  despatch  of  freight  and 
passengers? 

(7)  If  a  project  for  the  improvement  of  navigation  in  the  Merrimac 
River  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  Lowell  should  be  carried  out  pro¬ 
viding  an  adequate  channel,  would  you  provide  a  suitable  wharf  or  land¬ 
ing  place  on  the  river  for  the  receipt  and  despatch  of  either  freight  or 
passengers,  or  both? 

(8)  What,  in  your  opinion,  should  be  the  least  depth  in  any  improved 
channel  of  the  Merrimac  River  between  the  mouth  of  the  river  and 
Lowell? 


28 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Boston,  November,  1912. 

The  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  appointed  under  the  provisions 
of  chapter  708  of  the  Acts  of  1912,  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  the 
subject  of  the  development  of  the  Merrimac  River,  desires  to  know  whether 
or  not  (the  name  of  the  city  or  town  being  inserted)  would  be  willing  — 
provided  the  necessary  authority  therefor  is  obtained  from  the  Legisla¬ 
ture  —  to  acquire  by  purchase  or  otherwise,  for  commercial  purposes, 
land  bordering  on  the  Merrimac  River,  and  to  build  thereon,  and  equip 
and  operate  for  public  uses,  a  wharf  or  suitable  landing  place  to  be  used 
in  conjunction  with  an  improved  river  channel  of  adequate  depth  from 
the  mouth  to  Lowell? 

A  reply  to  this  inquiry  would  aid  the  Board  in  its  investigations. 


Newburyport. 

Population, . 

14,949 

River  frontage  (miles), . 

9.7 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  . 

.  $12,617,958 

Number  of  establishments, . 

49 

Boots  and  shoes. 

Boxes,  fancy  and  paper. 

Bread  and  other  bakery  products. 

Other  industries. 

Capital  invested, . 

.  $6,251,455 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used,  .... 

.-  $4,531,070 

Amount  of  wages  paid  during  the  year,  . 

.  $1,807,701 

Wage  earners  employed, . 

.  .  3,378 

Value  of  product, . 

.  $8,039,735 

Wharves,  Landings,  Docks  and  Terminal  Facilities. — At 
Newburyport  the  upper  wharves,  without  railroad  connection, 
are  as  follows:  (1)  above  the  highway  bridge,  only  abandoned 
structures;  (2)  below  that  bridge  and  on  north*  bank,  one  oil 
wharf  with  pipes  and  pumps  to  unload  ocean-going  oil  barges 
into  tanks;  and  (3)  one  wharf  for  fishing  nets,  reels,  etc.;  on 
the  south  bank  there  are  (4)  a  coal  pocket  and  steam  equipment 
for  taking  coal  out  of  barges  and  storing  it;  (5)  a  similar  plant; 
(6)  boat  railway;  (7)  pier  of  Merrimac  Towing  Company,  with 
power  equipment  for  unloading  barges  and  transfer  of  contents 
to  smaller  barges;  (8)  abandoned  wdiarf;  (9)  wharf  and  closed 
warehouse  for  package  freight,  formerly  used  by  a  steamer  no 
longer  running  between  Newburyport  and  Haverhill.  Good 
highways  serve  the  above  wharves.  The  lower  wharves  have 
railroad  connections,  and  are  as  follows:  (1)  large  piers  and 
warehouses  of  Philadelphia  &  Reading  Coal  and  Iron  Company, 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


29 


with  first-class  equipment  for  handling  and  storing  coal;  (2)  a 
coal  wharf,  steam  hoist;  (3)  similar  wharf  with  two  covered  coal 
pockets;  (4)  cold-storage  plant,  with  facilities  for  unloading  fish¬ 
ing  vessels;  (5)  effective  coal  plant,  with  three  overhead  trestles 
and  large  storage;  (6)  a  bulkheaded  lot  occupied  by  coal  piles; 
(7)  lumber  wharf  and  yard;  (8)  yacht  club  pier  and  clubhouse; 
(9)  below  this  a  double-track  railroad  runs  close  to  the  water’s 
edge  for  about  1,000  feet,  but  the  adjacent  water  is  shoal.  There 
is  physical  connection  between  all  the  lower  wharves  and  the 
Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  and  at  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading 
Coal  and  Iron  Company  wharf  there  is  opportunity  to  load  cars 
by  gravity  from  pockets  overhead,  or  by  a  steam  hoist  direct 
from  lighters  lying  at  the  wharf.  The  pockets  serve  four  railroad 
tracks  at  once,  if  desired,  each  track  having  a  train  of  several 
cars  loading  simultaneously.  The  other  wharves  are  without  such 
facilities  for  interchange  of  water-borne  coal  to  cars,  but  it  is 
simply  a  question  of  making  the  installation,  as  the  tracks  are 
available.  So  far  as  could  be  learned,  there  is  no  contract  for 
interchange  of  traffic  by  prorating  as  to  such  long-distance 
traffic  as  may  be  desired  to  be  carried  partly  by  rail  and  partly 
by  water  to  its  destination;  in  addition  to  the  railroad  tracks 

• 

good  highways  adequate  to  present  and  future  needs  serve  all 
the  lower  wharves.  There  are  no  wharves  in  Newbury  port 
which  are  owned  by  the  public  and  open  to  all  on  equal  terms. 
The  private  wharves  in  good  repair  are  almost  exclusively  used 
by  their  owners,  in  connection  with  their  coal,  oil,  fish  or  towing 
business,  and  are  in  consequence  not  open  to  all  on  equal  terms. 
The  dilapidated  structures  appear  to  be  open  to  any  one,  but 
not  by  any  specific  authority.  The  water  front  of  the  town 
below  the  bridges  is  fully  occupied  by  existing  structures;  no 
considerable  area  of  public  space  is  available  for  public  wharves. 
Above  the  bridge  is  a  full  mile  of  unutilized  water  front,  and 
land  can  be  formed  below  the  town  by  filling  in  the  flats;  the 
construction  of  public  wharves  on  some  parts  of  these  areas  by 
the  State  or  by  the  municipality  would  suffice  to  insure  against 
monopoly.  Before  enlarging  the  present  project  for  improving 
the  river  between  Newburyport  and  the  ocean,  it  would  appear 
essential  to  insure  co-operation  by  municipal  or  State  authorities 
in  connection  with  this  terminal  matter. 

Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves.  None  received. 

Answers  to  questions  in  circular  letter  concerning  amount  of  coal  used, 
etc. : — 


30 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


To  question  1:  Tons  coal  delivered,  137,450;  price  per  ton,  $4.36  to 
$8;  freight  rate,  $3.05  all  rail  from  mines  to  Newburyport. 

To  question  2:  A  saving  of  from  10  to  15  cents  was  reported.  The 
Philadelphia  &  Reading  Coal  and  Iron  Company,  owners  and  occupants 
of  the  largest  wharf  in  the  city,  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  saving  to  them 
would  be  of  large  proportions  if  the  river  were  deepened,  since  the  com¬ 
pany  has  several  classes  of  barges  which  are  now  unable  to  enter  New¬ 
buryport  harbor  because  of  the  shallow  depth  of  water.  Were  the  river 
deepened,  vessels  with  a  larger  coal  capacity  could  dock  at  the  wharf, 
and  in  one  cargo  the  company  would  receive  the  same  amount  of  coal 
as  is  now  received  in  two  of  the  vessels  touching  at  this  port,  by  reason 
of  the  increased  capacity  of  the  barges. 

To  question  3:  A  total  of  9,800  tons.  The  Standard  Oil  Company, 
the  owners  of  a  wharf  and  plant  on  Rings  Island  (which  island  is  situated 
directly  across  the  river  from  the  city  of  Newburyport),  reported  that 
they  receive  by  water  587,309  gallons  of  gasoline  and  oil,  or  a  total  of 
1,792  short  tons. 

To  question  4:  The  opinion  expressed  was  that  the  saving  would  be 
from  33j  to  50  per  cent.  Capt.  Geo.  F.  Woodman  states  that  there  are 
300,000  tons  of  general  freight  in  and  out  of  Newburyport  annually; 
that  the  saving  to  the  people  of  Newburyport  in  transportation  charges 
would  amount  to  50  per  cent. 

To  question  5:  No  answer. 

To  question  6:  Answers  disclosed  the  fact  that  there  were  six  firms  who 
own  and  occupy  wharves  in  Newburyport. 

To  question  7:  Answers  in  the  affirmative  in  almost  all  cases. 

To  question  8:  As  to  the  depth  of  the  river  between  its  mouth  and  the 
city  of  Lowell  opinion  was  divided.  Many  expressed  the  opinion  that 
the  depth  should  be  at  least  25  feet,  while  others  went  so  far  as  to  place 
the  depth  at  10  feet. 

Extracts  from  statements  made  at  public  hearing  held  Sept. 
16,  1912,  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  and  from 
letters  received :  — 

Frederick  L.  Atkinson,  coal  dealer.  I  have  been  wrestling  with  this 
problem  for  about  thirty  years,  and  we  have  succeeded  finally  in  getting 
about  15-foot  draft  of  water  from  the  ocean  to  this  port.  What  we  need 
first  is  to  deepen  the  water  on  the  bar  and  straighten  the  channel  to  this 
city  so  as  to  bring  vessels  in  here  of  deeper  draft.  ...  It  always  seemed 
to  me  that  Mitchells  Falls  could  be  dammed  and  coal  could  be  carried  to 
Lawrence  and  Lowell  very  easily  through  the  locks  and  canals. 

In  about  1886,  22,000  tons  were  taken  over  those  falls  at  high  water. 
Since  then  not  a  ton  has  ever  gone  up  the  river.  .  .  . 

We  have  24  miles  of  water  front  that  can  be  developed  very  rapidly.  .  .  . 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


31 


We  have  a  connection  with  the  railroad  now.  We  have  a  marginal 
railroad  all  along  our  wharves. 

There  are  several  [wharves]  now  that  could  be  developed  right  here  in 
the  lower  harbor  enough  to  handle  seven  times  the  quantity  of  coal  that 
comes  in  here.  .  .  . 

Whenever  we  have  had  a  steamer  line  running  here  from  Boston  the 
most  freight  she  ever  got  has  been  from  this  city  more  than  from  all 
other  places  on  the  river  combined.  .  .  . 

Q.  Can  you  give  us  an  idea  of  how  much  saving,  if  any,  you  could 
effect  by  improving  the  navigation  here?  A.  I  think  it  would  lower 
the  water  rates  all  of  15  cents  a  ton  if  we  had  20-foot  draft  of  vessel.  .  .  . 

Q.  What  is  the  quantity  of  coal  that  Newburyport  gets?  A.  I 
should  say  150,000  tons. 

Q.  Does  that  include  what  is  transferred  to  barges  and  sent  up  stream? 
A.  Yes,  sir;  and  shipped  by  rail  and  used  in  the  city. 

F.  Iv.  Lyman.  I  am  a  cordage  manufacturer.  As  a  cordage  manu¬ 
facturer  I  am  naturally  interested  in  anything  that  will  boost  navigation 
around  here  as  well  as  other  points,  because  the  amount  of  cordage  used 
by  vessels  is  decreasing  rapidly  enough  at  any  rate,  and  we  are  of  course 
anxious  to  hold  it  firm  as  long  as  we  can.  But  while  I  am  interested,  I 
may  confess,  primarily  for  our  own  benefit,  nevertheless  I  am  just  as  much 
interested,  and  I  think  the  people  who  control  us,  although  they  do  not 
live  in  this  section,  are  also  interested  in  the  development  of  this  valley 
and  of  Newburyport  particularly.  We  have  only  been  here  a  short 
time,  so  that  I  do  not  feel  at  all  competent  to  speak  of  river  conditions 
except  as  I  have  heard  others  speak  of  them,  but  I  do  think  that  there  is 
no  question,  from  the  experience  we  have  had  on  the  Great  Lakes,  where 
I  come  from,  in  Cleveland,  that  the  opening  up  of  a  harbor,  even  though 
it  may  not  be  to  the  very  largest  of  vessels,  but  to  any  size  which  will 
permit  the  increase  of  the  number  of  vessels  entering  and  leaving  the 
harbor,  is  bound  to  be  of  assistance  to  every  point  that  is  touched  by 
those  vessels.  That  would  mean  particularly  Newburyport,  I  don’t 
doubt,  and  rightly  so,  being  at  the  port,  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

So  far  as  we  are  ourselves  concerned,  we  cannot  complain  a  great  deal 
about  freight  rates;  that  is,  of  the  rates  themselves.  How  the  other  in¬ 
dustries  are  affected  I  could  not  say.  We  have  more  or  less  complaint, 
however,  as  to  the  service,  and  we  know  that  the  opening  up  of  this  har¬ 
bor  to  permit  the  free  shipment  of  our  goods  by  vessel,  and  in  all  prob¬ 
ability  the  free  bringing  in  of  all  our  raw  material  by  vessel,  would  give 
us,  if  not  lower  rates,  decidedly  better  service.  And  were  there  a  possi¬ 
bility  of  getting  our  goods  by  water  up  as  far  as  Nashua,  or  points  above 
Lowell  and  Lawrence,  it  would  be  also  of  decided  benefit.  We  have  only 
been  selling  in  New  England  for  the  past  year,  but  we  hope  to  do  con¬ 
siderable  more  of  it,  and  we  have  had  more  or  less  occasion  to  sell  up  in 
New  Hampshire.  Nashua  is  one  of  the  points  in  which  we  are  interested, 
and  Lowell  and  Lawrence  to  some  extent.  From  the  service  we  have 


32 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


had  to  those  points,  and  from  what  our  customers  have  told  us,  there  is 
no  question  but  that  water  transportation  to  those  points  would  be  a 
great  benefit  and  enable  us  to  do  more  business. 

I  know,  furthermore,  that  if  Newburyport  became  anything  more  of  a 
port,  which,  unfortunately,  it  is  not  to-day,  either  our  parent  concern 
itself,  or  the  men  interested  in  it,  with  their  friends,  would  be  very  glad 
to  establish  a  ship  chandlery  store  here,  as  that  was  their  original  business, 
and  is  at  the  present  time  on  the  Great  Lakes.  In  fact,  they  are  one  of 
the  largest  ship  chandlery  concerns  in  the  United  States.  .  .  . 

They  would  not  hesitate  at  all  to  put  that  in  here,  and  I  think  while 
that  would  not  be  manufacturing  to  any  extent,  although  it  might  be  in 
the  way  of  sail  and  rigging  loft,  it  would  employ  so  many  more  people 
and  be  that  additional  benefit  to  the  community.  Furthermore,  we 
should  be  able,  I  feel  sure,  to  make  lower  prices  on  account  of  the  freight 
rates  to  certain  points  in  the  south  to  which  we  now  ship,  and  to  which 
we  have  either  to  ship  the  goods  to  Cleveland  in  order  to  obtain  a  carload 
rate,  and  then  transship  them  south,  or  we  have  to  send  them  by  the 
best  route  which  we  can  get  to  the  south,  which  means  railroad  to  Boston, 
vessel  to  the  south,  to  the  nearest  point  to  the  destination  of  the  goods, 
and  then  again  by  the  railroad,  and  that  makes  very  high  rates.  For 
instance,  we  have  to  pay,  either  we  or  our  customer,  depending  upon  what 
the  arrangement  is,  as  much  for  goods  shipped  down  to  Georgia  as  we 
have  to  pay  clear  around  into  Los  Angeles  and  San  Francisco.  That 
seems  very  peculiar,  but  nevertheless  it  is  so.  And  with  the  Panama 
Canal  opening  up,  and  the  business  through  that  territory  taking  a  spurt 
as  we  think  it  will,  it  is  naturally  of  interest  to  us,  with  those  ports  opening 
up,  to  get  as  low  rates  as  we  can  into  the  southern  ports.  It  is  our  belief 
that  if  Newburyport  was  opened  up,  as  Mr.  Blood  says,  to  tramp  steam¬ 
ers  of  ordinary  size,  we  would  have  no  trouble  getting  reasonable  rates 
down  to  the  southern  ports,  and  to  those  inland  cities  to  which  we  ship 
from  those  ports.  We  would  hope  and  expect  to  increase  our  business, 
which  would  mean  employment  of  that  many  more  hands,  —  a  thing  of 
course  to  be  desired  by  every  community.  .  .  . 

We  get  our  raw  material  for  the  most  part  through  the  port  of  Boston. 
There  has  never  been,  since  we  have  been  here,  with  the  exception  of 
one  small  lot  that  we  have  bought  from  England,  —  there  has  never 
been  any  of  our  fiber  come  anywhere  except  to  the  New  Haven  docks  in 
Boston.  That  means  placing  it  on  cars  belonging  to  the  LTnion  Freight 
Railroad,  or,  I  should  say,  handled  by  the  Union  Freight  Railroad,  and 
brought  around  to  the  Boston  &  Maine  tracks.  That  means  an  extra 
charge  of  3  cents  a  hundred  for  taking  it  around  the  city,  to  which  is 
added  the  rate  from  Boston  here,  which  is  reasonable  enough,  5  cents  a 
hundred  in  carload  lots.  If  the  port  was  open  for  the  entry  of  vessels  of 
sufficient  size,  because  our  product  is  more  or  less  bulky  and  requires 
room,  we  could  take  it  from  the  New  Haven  docks  into  Newburyport 
and  land  it  right  at  our  wharves,  which  would  be  undoubtedly  cheaper 


1914.] 


i 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


33 


for  us  as  well  as  a  great  deal  quicker.  We  are  frequently  held  up  on  our 
shipments,  and  that  is  what  we  have  to  complain  of  rather  than  the  rates. 

I  might  add,  further,  that  if  power  were  also  added  to  the  benefits  of  navi¬ 
gation  on  the  river  here,  we  would  for  our  part  be  very  willing  to  par¬ 
ticipate  in  the  lower  power;  because  our  business  does  not  give  in  these 
days  any  wide  margin  or  profit,  and  any  saving  of  that  kind  is  ver3r  wel¬ 
come.  ... 

George  F.  Woodman.  Newburyport  wants  a  water  line,  and  it  is 
the  best  chance  there  is  on  the  coast  of  the  United  States  to  run  a  passen¬ 
ger  and  freight  service  to  Boston.  But  just  as  soon  as  you  get  to  running 
in  good  shape,  — -  why,  I  never  run  more  than  four  months  in  my  life 
before  the  Boston  &  Maine  came  along  and  wanted  to  know  who  was 
the  moneyed  end  of  the  enterprise.  They  found  out,  and  off  she  goes. 
I  have  been  thrown  out  four  times  in  just  that  way.  I  want  this  river 
improved  because  I  think  it  will  be  a  benefit  to  a  lot  of  people.  They 
should  put  a  dam  at  Mitchells  Falls;  that  is  what  I  approve  of;  then  you 
could  go  to  Haverhill  and  Lawrence  with  these  small  barges,  like  the 
Lehigh  valley  barges,  of  700  to  900  tons.  .  .  .  Lawrence  should  have  had 
a  channel  long  ago,  and  then  you  could  take  barges  from  Perth  Amboy, 
Newport  News,  Norfolk  or  any  of  those  places  and  take  them  right  up 
there  easily.  .  .  . 

Q.  What  width  of  channel  do  you  think  we  ought  to  have  there? 
A.  If  you  can  get  a  channel  200  feet  wide  I  think  it  would  be  all  right. 

Leonard  Withington.  It  seems  to  me  that  any  one  who  has  noticed 
the  transportations  of  the  New  Haven  railroad  cannot  fail  to  see  that 
they  have  discovered  that  in  order  to  make  the  road  a  paying  proposi¬ 
tion  the}^  have  got  to  spend  more  of  their  money  in  developing  the  through 
freight  and  the  through  passenger  business,  before  it  extends  the  fre¬ 
quency  of  train  service  and  the  service  that  they  can  give  on  the  shorter 
lines.  Now  the  port  of  Boston  is  a  great  port,  but  the  city  and  port  of 
Boston  are  tremendously  congested  for  the  handling  of  local  traffic,  and 
in  my  mind  the  greatest  thing  that  can  be  done  for  the  local  freight  trans¬ 
portation  for  the  smaller  cities  is  to  divorce  that  from  the  port  of  Boston 
to  a  large  extent,  relieving  the  congestion  in  Boston,  where  pier  rates 
must  be  high,  where  rent  and  tax  rates  must  be  high  in  proportion  to  the 
facilities  offered,  and  divorce  a  large  part  of  that  local  traffic  to  the  smaller 
rivers  and  smaller  ports.  I  think  that  one  great  handicap  that  New 
England  and  this  part  of  Massachusetts  particularly  has  had  to  suffer 
during  the  last  fifty  years  has  been  the  fact  that  the  railroad  layout  was 
formed  in  a  haphazard  manner  because  of  competition  and  rapid  expan¬ 
sion,  and  because  no  general  plan  w*as  laid  out  along  natural  lines.  Where 
in  the  United  States  can  you  find  a  row  of  cities  producing  the  amount 
of  manufactured  products  which  is  produced  in  Concord,  Manchester, 
Nashua,  Lowell,  Lawrence,  Haverhill  and  Newburyport,  without  a  single 
railroad  line  connecting  the  whole  section  directly?  I  defy  any  one  to 
produce  a  row  of  manufacturing  cities  turning  out  a  tremendous  product 


34 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


where  no  railroad  line  can  collect  all  that  product  and  deliver  it  to  a 
single  point.  Each  one  of  those  cities,  or  each  group,  has  a  fan-shaped 
line  of  railroads  from  Boston  reaching  it,  and  there  is  no  way  of  collecting 
the  product  of  those  great  cities  along  one  line  and  shipping  it  through 
one  port. 

Edward  Perkins.  My  business  is  the  lumber  business.  What  little 
I  am  going  to  say  on  this  proposition  is  simply  with  reference  to  the  get¬ 
ting  of  freight  down  from  Boston.  If  it  was  possible  to  have  a  steamboat 
line  here  it  could  handle  the  lumber  and  other  supplies  Coming  down,  of 
which  we  have  considerable  at  the  present  time.  It  takes  now  two  to 
five  days  and  sometimes  a  week  to  get  anything  from  Boston.  If  we  had 
a  steamer  lying  here  it  would  be  possible  to  put  material  out  on  the  dock 
in  the  afternoon  and  get  it  here  in  the  following  morning.  We  recently 
had  a  lot  of  grill  work  shipped  from  Boston,  which  started  about  a  month 
ago.  It  was  sent  from  Boston  to  Portland,  and  then  back  to  Boston,  and 
I  got  notice  to-day  that  it  would  be  sent  from  Boston  down  here.  Last 
winter  we  had  an  experience  with  some  hard  pine  timber  which  was  sent 
from  Boston  down  here.  On  tracing  it,  when  it  did  not  arrive,  it  was 
found  to  be  in  the  Salem  yard,  and  the  contractor  there  had  taken  off  some 
of  the  large  timbers  and  was  using  them  for  moving  purposes,  which  of 
course  was  very  aggravating.  Some  of  our  timber  comes  from  the  south 
and  from  the  east,  but  we  have  a  great  deal  that  comes  from  Boston.  In 
reference  to  the  Panama  Canal  being  opened,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is 
quite  a  proposition,  the  fact  that  lumber  can  be  shipped  from  the  western 
points  right  through  and  up  to  the  Merrimac  River.  We  all  know  that 
the  freight  on  shipments  of  lumber  is  tremendous;  and  sometimes  a  car¬ 
load  of  shingles,  sent  from  the  west,  will  be  all  stove  to  pieces  before  it 
gets  here.  If  they  could  come  right  through  by  water,  I  believe  they 
would  come  in  much  better  shape  and  at  much  lower  cost.  .  .  . 

Richard  Newell.  It  seems  to  me  that  between  Newburyport  and 
Haverhill,  if  you  can  get  a  draft  of  water  of  12  feet  at  low  water  it  would 
be  ample  for  all  the  necessities  of  navigation  between  here  and  Haver¬ 
hill.  The  up-river  cities  would  not  be  served  by  that,  except  in  having 
their  products  landed  at  Haverhill  instead  of  Newburyport.  The  dis¬ 
tance  between  Haverhill  and  Lawrence,  perhaps  8  or  9  miles,  would  be 
lessened  about  one-half,  and  perhaps  a  little  more,  than  it  would  be  if 
the  breaking  of  bulk  had  to  be  at  Newburyport.  I  believe  that  the  only 
way  to  reach  Lawrence  is  to  have  a  dam  at  Mitchells  Falls.  That  is  the 
only  place  where  Lawrence  would  be  benefited.  .  .  . 

Nearly  a  million  people  are  living  along  the  valley  and  it  could  be 
helped  if  we  could  get  the  transportation  problem  fixed  so  that  it  will 
be  much  less  than  it  is  at  the  present  time.  It  will  help  toward  reducing 
the  high  cost  of  living,  which  we  are  all  suffering  under  to-day,  and  that 
is  one  of  the  main  things  to  consider. 

Irving  Besse.  There  is  no  question  in  my  mind  but  that  if  Law¬ 
rence,  Lowell,  Haverhill  and  Newburyport  were  able  to  combine  to  main- 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


35 


tain  a  steamer  line,  it  would  be  a  great  benefit  to  all  shippers  by  making 
competition  with  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  and  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  line.  .  .  . 

John  Balch  Blood.  If  the  development  of  the  outer  harbor  was  such 
that  an  ordinary  tramp  steamer  could  come  in  here,  why  when  a  tramp 
was  in  another  port  and  could  get  a  cargo  for  Newburyport,  they  would 
come  here,  and  then  would  look  around  here  to  see  if  they  could  get  a 
cargo  for  somewhere  else,  and  in  that  way  we  would  develop  our  trans¬ 
portation.  But  when  no  tramp  steamer  can  come  here,  he  is  not  around 
here  looking  for  something  to  carry  somewhere  else.  ...  It  is  necessary, 
in  order  to  make  the  proper  development,  to  have  a  ship  that  is  built 
practically  for  this  purpose,  to  run  in  here  and  out  on  a  regular  schedule. 
.  .  .  I  believe  that  the  handling  of  the  Merrimac  River,  up  as  far  as  it 
can  be,  would  go  a  long  ways  to  give  the  population  of  this  district  a  lower 
freight  rate,  and  when  you  figure  it  out,  the  freight  rate,  —  I  was  figur¬ 
ing  the  other  day,  the  freight  is  3  or  4  per  cent,  of  the  manufacturing  price 
of  cotton  goods.  The  difference  in  the  water  freight  and  the  land  freight, 
what  we  get  for  coal,  is  something  like  3  or  4  per  cent,  of  the  price. 


Haverhill. 

Population, .  44,115 

River  frontage  (miles), .  19 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $39,891,136 

Number  of  establishments, .  310 


Boot  and  shoe  cut  stock  findings. 

Boots  and  shoes. 

Boxes,  paper  and  wooden. 

Bread  and  other  bakery  products. 

Cutlery  and  tools,  not  elsewhere  specified. 

Foundry  and  machine-shop  products. 

Mineral  and  soda  waters. 

Models  and  patterns,  not  including  paper  patterns. 

Printing  and  publishing. 

Tobacco  manufactures. 

Other  industries. 

Capital  invested, . 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . 

Amount  of  wages  paid  during  the  year,  . 

Wage  earners  employed, . 

Value  of  product, . 

Wharves,  Landings,  Docks  and  Terminal  Facilities.  —  At 
Haverhill  there  is  a  very  different  condition  of  affairs.  There 
are  some  20  quay  walls,  locally  known  as  wharves.  They  are 
usually  from  300  to  400  feet  long,  and  many  of  them  have 
sufficient  depth  along  their  fronts  to  ensure  that  barges  drawing 


.  $17,202,167 
.  $26,197,058 
.  $8,498,786 

13,885 
.  $42,413,255 


36 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


10  feet  shall  remain  water-borne  even  at  low  tide.  In  the  public 
hearing  held  Oct.  4,  1912,  it  was  stated  that  some  of  these 
wharves  are  public  landings,  and  have  been  so  occupied  since 

t 

the  city  first  secured  a  charter. 

The  city  now  controls  several  sites  with  300  feet  or  more 
river  frontage  which  could  be  made  into  thoroughly  effective 
public  landing  places,  open  to  all  water  carriers  on  equal  terms. 
At  the  present  time  the  wharves  in  Haverhill  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  river  have  no  railroad  connections,  but  spurs  could  be  run 
to  the  wharves  without  physical  difficulty,  if  such  connection 
were  regarded  as  advisable.  On  the  south  bank,  in  what  is  now 
Haverhill  but  is  also  known  as  Bradford,  the  box  board  factory 
wharf  has  a  railroad  spur  so  that  it  can  get  coal  either  by  water 
or  by  rail.  This  is  true  of  one  other  wharf  on  that  bank, 
though  the  actual  connection  is  not  so  complete  or  convenient 
for  interchange  of  coal  from  barges  to  cars,  if  such  exchange  were 
advisable.  I  understand  that  there  is,  however,  no  existing 
contract  for  interchange  of  traffic  by  prorating  as  to  such  long¬ 
distance  traffic  as  may  be  desired  to  be  carried  partly  by  rail 
and  partly  by  water  to  its  destination.  Good  city  streets  are 
closely  adjacent  to  the  wharves  in  Haverhill,  and  are  adequate 
for  all  present  commercial  uses.  The  city  authorities  seem  to  be 
thoroughly  aroused  to  the  desirability  of  avoiding  monopoly, 
and  to  be  doing  all  in  their  power  to  encourage  effective  water 
competition  in  freight  matters.  At  the  hearing  and  in  subsequent 
correspondence  there  is  ample  evidence  of  the  willingness  of  the 
municipal  authorities  and  commercial  bodies  to  assist  in  develop¬ 
ing  the  river,  even  to  the  extent  of  financial  assistance  in  paying 
for  the  work. 

Above  Haverhill  there  are  no  existing  terminals,  but  the 
question  of  public  wharves  and  terminal  facilities  was  taken  up 
at  the  hearing  in  Lawrence. 

Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves :  — 

The  city  of  Haverhill  will  be  only  too  willing  to  furnish  the  necessary 
landing  places  for  public  use  in  the  city  of  Haverhill  and  upon  the  Merrimac 
River,  at  such  time  as  the  public  necessities  shall  require.  The  city  of  Haver¬ 
hill  has,  at  the  present  time,  some  eight  or  ten  public  landing  places,  and 
several  of  these  could  readily  be  equipped  with  wharfage  facilities.  I  can 
assure  you  that  our  council  will  do  all  necessary  things  to  co-operate  with 
your  honorable  Board. 

Answers  to  questions  in  circular  letter,  concerning  amount  of  coal 
used,  etc. :  — 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


37 


To  question  1:  Tons  coal  delivered,  61,485;  price  per  ton,  varying; 
freight  rate,  $2.95  all  rail  from  mines  to  Newburyport,  Salem  or  Mystic. 

To  question  2:  The  opinion  was  expressed  that  from  50  cents  to  $1  per 
ton  would  be  saved,  could  the  coal  be  brought  by  water. 

To  question  3:  This  question  resulted  in  a  total  of  73,700  tons  of  freight 
other  than  coal  now  received  in  Haverhill.  Many  firms  answering  this 
question  gave  the  money  value  of  the  freight  instead  of  the  customary 
units  of  weight;  as,  for  example,  one  firm  paid  the  sum  of  $25  in  freight 
charges  last  year. 

To  question  4:  The  opinion  expressed  is  that  from  33|  to  60  per  cent, 
could  be  saved.  Many  firms,  in  answering  this  question,  instead  of  giv¬ 
ing  their  answers  on  a  percentage  basis,  figured  the  rail  rates  and  water 
rates,  and  gave  the  answer  in  dollars  and  cents. 

To  question  5:  Answers  to  this  question  totaled  33,000  tons,  but  this 
result  is  no  indication  of  the  amount  of  freight  which  could  be  shipped  by 
water,  as  many  of  the  firms  in  answering  this  question  replied  as  follows: 
“All  of  it”  (meaning  their  freight);  while  others  named  specific  things  that 
they  might  ship  by  way  of  a  water  route,  for  example:  “9,000,000  feet  of 
lumber/’  “500,000  box  shooks,”  “12,000  cases  of  shoes,”  etc. 

To  question  6 :  Many  of  the  firms  in  Haverhill  own  and  occupy  wharves, 
and  all  are  willing  to  provide  a  suitable  wharf  were  the  river  improved  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  make  it  navigable  for  vessels  of  fair  draft. 

To  question  7:  Answered  under  question  6. 

To  question  8:  Opinion  differs,  varying  from  14  to  22  feet,  but  the  ma¬ 
jority  are  in  favor  of  a  22-foot  depth.  The  Standard  Oil  Company  have 
a  wharf  and  plant  in  the  city  of  Haverhill,  and  at  this  point  the  company 
receives  853,196  gallons  of  gasoline  and  kerosene,  or  a  total  of  2,560  short 
tons.  Even  in  the  present  state  of  the  river  it  is  possible  for  an  oil-tank 
steamer  to  navigate  the  Merrimac  as  far  as  the  works  of  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  in  Haverhill. 

Extracts  from  statements  made  at  public  hearing  held  Nov. 
25,  1912,  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  and  from 
letters  received :  — 

Daniel  N.  Casey,  Secretary  of  the  Haverhill  Board  of  Trade.  I 
understand,  Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  that  from  the  standpoint  of 
the  Board  of  Trade  investigations  have  been  made  as  to  the  present  and 
prospective  commerce  of  the  river;  and  that  it  would  be  desirable  that  a 
sufficient  channel  be  made  so  that  the  larger  vessels  can  come  to  Haver¬ 
hill;  and  the  bulk  of  that  investigation  is  in  the  hands  of  your  investi¬ 
gator,  who  has  worked  with  me;  and  he  has  obtained  all  the  information 
which  will  be  of  advantage  to  the  Board  in  preparing  its  report;  and  we 
know  a  large  number  of  the  manufacturers  have  declared  in  their  state¬ 
ments  to  me,  which  I  have  turned  over  to  the  investigator,  that  were  a 
sufficient  channel  made,  they  would  ship  a  large  bulk  of  their  freight  by 


38 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


water;  and  as  three-eighths  of  our  freights  are  transferred  at  Boston,  to 
be  transferred  at  the  Boston  &  Maine  yards  to  go  by  water  route  to  the 
south  and  west,  or  go  to  the  south  and  reshipped  to  the  west,  we  believe 
there  are  other  manufacturers  who,  were  this  channel  established,  would 
swing  into  line,  especially  with  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal,  which 
will  enable  them  to  ship  through  to  the  Pacific  coast;  and  they  can  be 
shipped  to  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  other  western  cities,  with  which  Haver¬ 
hill  has  to  compete.  With  a  water  line  established,  there  would  be  more 
refill  orders  from  the  places  in  the  west,  and  the  prosperity  of  Haverhill 
would  be  enhanced. 

The  Boston  &  Maine,  two  months  ago,  informed  us  that  they  were 
going  to  put  on  an  express  freight  car  to  New  York.  This  would  take 
two  days.  The  goods  were  to  go  to  Fall  River  and  be  taken  to  New 
York,  and  be  ready  for  delivery  the  second  following  morning.  That 
freight  car  has  made  this  time  on  only  a  very  few  occasions;  it  has  taken 
from  four  to  six  weeks  for  those  goods  to  be  carried  to  New  York.  They 
are  paying  express  freight  rates;  and  if  we  had  a  boat  line  it  would  be 
cheaper  and  quicker  than  from  four  to  six  weeks.  This  same  trouble  is 
being  met  with  in  Lowell  and  in  Lawrrenee.  There  is  no  way  to  prevent 
it.  The  Boston  &  Maine  and  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  rail¬ 
roads  form  a  large  railroad  monopoly;  and  something  has  to  be  done  to 
assist  New  England,  and  especially  this  portion  of  it. 

Twenty-two  per  cent,  of  the  manufacturing  shippers  in  Massachusetts 
outside  of  Boston  are  located  along  the  Merrimac  River.  The  Boston  & 
Maine  is  unable  to  handle  our  stuff.  Only  yesterday  there  was  freight 
went  out  of  the  Haverhill  yard  that  has  been  tied  up  for  over  a  week. 
Shoes  and  carriages  and  other  things  have  been  left  in  those  freight  cars 
for  over  a  week,  waiting  to  be  taken  out  of  here.  They  cannot  ship  the 
stuff;  and  if  we  had  a  boat  line  it  would  relieve  the  congestion,  and  some 
of  the  manufacturers  would  be  able  to  use  the  river  to  compete  with  the 
other  manufacturers,  not  only  here  but  in  the  west.  Figures  in  regard 
to  the  shipment  of  coal  are  already  in  the  hands  of  the  Board.  .  .  . 

There  is  this  about  it,  gentlemen,  that  from  Concord  to  the  sea  is  prac¬ 
tically  a  straight  line;  but  there  is  no  direct  communication.  If  a  man 
wants  to  send  goods  from  here  to  Concord  or  Nashua  or  Manchester  he 
has  to  take  them  over  the  railroad  tracks  to  get  them  there  at  all,  and  a 
waterway  is  the  natural  way  for  all. 

William  W.  Emerson.  The  Haverhill  Board  of  Trade  has  been 
working  for  years  for  the  improvement  of  the  Merrimac  valley.  I  want 
to  say,  our  members  believe  in  it  very  thoroughly  to-day;  others  have 
before;  and  they  are  forced  to  that  opinion  for  the  reason  that  our  needs 
are  becoming  more  urgent;  our  population  here  is  growing  in  rapid  strides) 
and  our  railroad  is  physically  inadequate  to  take  care  of  the  commerce 
that  comes  and  goes  here. 

I  wish  you  gentlemen  might  have  attended  the  last  meeting  of  Our  Board 
of  Trade,  which  wras  held  in  the  Elks’  Home.  We  had  there  one  hundred 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


39 


and  fifty  members  of  our  Board,  of  which  we  have  a  membership  of  four 
hundred.  At  that  meeting  there  was  a  perfect  flood  of  protest,  from  every 
man  present  almost,  regarding  delay  in  shipments,  which  could  not  be 
handled  on  account  of  the  present  lack  of  facilities.  I  think  you  will 
readily  agree  with  us  that  the  moment  we  have  adequate  water  facilities 
here  there  is  likely  to  be  an  improvement  in  taking  freight  in  and  out 
of  the  cities  in  the  Merrimac  valley.  .  .  .  When  you  gentlemen  go  down 
to  the  next  General  Court  and  make  your  recommendations,  I  hope  it 
will  be  at  least  big  enough,  broad  enough,  deep  enough,  comprehensive 
enough,  so  that  we  can  have  first-class,  ocean-going  steamers  entering  the 
Merrimac  River  and  going  as  far  as  Lawrence  at  least. 

Samuel  W.  George.  I  was  connected  with  a  steamboat  company 
here  for  six  years;. and  the  proprietors  and  other  men  interested  in  the 
progress  of  the  river  have  been  before  the  Board  of  Engineers  in  Wash¬ 
ington,  and  also  the  engineers  in  Boston  off  and  on  for  the  last  sixteen 
years.  .  .  . 

There  are  certain  things  that  we  know.  We  know  that  we  have  a 
river  700  to  2,000  feet  wide  between  Haverhill  and  the  sea.  We  know 
also  that  we  have  85,000  people  that  live  between  Haverhill  and  the 
Methuen  line  and  the  sea.  We  also  know  it  is  a  manufacturing  valley. 
We  know  that  the  value  of  the  manufactured  articles  drawn  out  of  this 
85,000  people  amount  to  approximately  $60,000,000  a  year.  All  that 
material  has  to  come  through  Haverhill;  it  is  imported  here;  and  after  it 
is  manufactured  it  has  to  be  exported.  We  also  know  that  there  is  con¬ 
siderable  coal  and  other  materials,  foodstuffs,  wearing  apparel,  etc. 
There  is  from  ten  million  to  eleven  million  dollars’  worth  of  those  goods 
that  are  imported  over  here  for  daily  use  and  daily  consumption.  It 
seems  to  me  that  has  demonstrated  the  fact  that  a  river  from  700  to  2,000 
feet  wide,  with  a  fall  of  tide  approximately  4  feet  rise  and  fall,  that  can 
be  made  an  open  artery  of  trade,  and  be  of  great  importance  to  the  Merri¬ 
mac  River  as  far  as  Haverhill. 

Now,  if  you  should  carry  that  further,  you  would  simply  add  that  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lawrence  and  North  Andover  and  Methuen  there  is  an¬ 
other  100,000  population.  They  also  are  a  manufacturing  community 
that  turn  out  articles  of  manufacture,  but  more  or  less  of  it  they  do  im¬ 
port,  and  the  articles  that  they  do  import  and  articles  exported  amount 
to  the  value  of  nearly  $70,000,000  a  year.  They  have  to  have  all  articles 
that  enter  into  daily  consumption  to  the  value  of  twelve  or  thirteen  mil¬ 
lions  imported  into  those  various  communities  for  daily  use. 

You  can  go  still  further  and  take  Lowell  and  surrounding  towns,  and 
you  will  have  to  add  115,000  more  population;  and  there  is  a  manufac¬ 
turing  community  who  manufacture  products  amounting  to  $75,000,000 
a  year;  and  they  also  import  for  their  daily  use  foodstuffs  and  coal  and 
other  things  necessary  to  the  living  of  people,  to  the  extent  of  $15,000,000 
annually.  .  .  . 

If  you  could  run  modern  steamers  in  here,  drawing  from  12  to  13  or 


40 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


14  feet,  it  must  be  a  great  advantage  to  the  manufacturing  industries  of 
this  valley.  .  .  .  Our  difficulty  is  the  obstacles  in  the  wajr  of  this  big 
river  between  here  and  the  sea,  and  the  steamers  cannot  override  those 
obstacles.  It  strikes  me  if  this  Board  wants  to  do  a  real  service  to  the 
people  of  this  valley  they  ought  to  be  able  to  demonstrate  what  kind  of 
a  plan  will  bring  these  improvements. 

The  most  satisfactor}7  plan,  the  most  desirable  plan,  I  think,  the  gen¬ 
eral  idea  in  this  city,  the  most  feasible,  is  to  build  a  dam  and  a  lock  near 
the  Lions  Mouth,  the  narrowest  spot  in  the  river.  We  have  deep  water 
to  that  particular  place.  If  you  should  build  a  dam  and  lock  there,  so 
that  the  water  at  Haverhill  would  be  as  high  as  the  highest  tide,  or  a  foot 
higher  than  medium  tide,  then  steamers  could  come  to  Haverhill,  drawing 
13  feet  of  water,  and  steamers  that  draw  13  feet  of  water  are  ocean-going 
steamers,  and  are  perfectly  safe  and  perfectly  feasible;  and  there  would 
be  no  difficulty  in  having  regular  steamboat  lines  between  Haverhill, 
Boston  and  New  York  and  other  places. 

Now,  if  we  are  going  to  develop  the  Merrimac  valley,  you  could  also, 
after  your  engineers  had  figured  out  that  scheme,  the  practicability  of 
which  I  think  there  is  little  doubt,  —  then  you  can  ascertain  what  it 
would  cost  to  build  a  dam  at  Mitchells  Falls,  below  Haverhill.  Then 
you  could  send  steamers  to  Lawrence.  Your  engineers  can  figure  out 
what  it  would  cost  to  put  in  locks  and  a  dam  in  connection  with  the  dam 
already  at  Lawrence.  Then  you  could  have  steamers,  perhaps  not  so 
large  a  draft,  and  you  could  deliver  material  at  Lowell.  .  .  . 

If  the  State  of  Massachusetts  is  going  into  the  business  of  improving 
the  waterways,  here  is  a  good  opportunity  for  it  to  begin  with  the  Merri¬ 
mac  valley.  You  can  very  easily  see  the  advantages  of  this  commercially 
to  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  .  .  . 

I  do  think  this  commission,  after  their  investigation,  ought  to  afford  in 
their  report  an  opportunity  for  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  the  people  of 
the  Merrimac  valley,  to  know  just  what  these  improvements  are  going 
to  cost.  It  is  not  easy  to  go  to  Washington  with  a  dozen  different  forces, 
all  working  in  a  dozen  different  ways.  You  have  to  have  some  well- 
developed  plan;  and  it  seems  to  me  if  this  commission  should  bring  about 
that  information  and  place  it  before  them  so  they  would  know  what  it 
would  cost  to  put  in  a  dam  at  Lions  Mouth  and  a  suitable  draw,  and  one 
below  Mitchells  Falls,  and  what  it  would  cost  to  put  in  a  canal  to  connect 
with  the  dam  already  built  at  Lawrence,  and  also  the  necessary  arrange¬ 
ments  to  keep  up  the  dam,  with  a  lock,  then  you  have  done  a  real  benefit 
to  us,  and  aided  in  this  movement  of  developing  the  Merrimac  valley.  .  .  . 

The  city  owns,  — - 1  cannot  define  all  the  city  owns;  it  owns  the  landing  . 
at  the  Essex  engine  house,  so-called.  A  dock  could  be  put  in  there,  with 
certain  improvements  made,  I  fancy,  five  or  six  hundred  feet  long  in  that 
one  place.  The  city  also  owns  a  landing  where  we  used  to  land  our 
steamer  at  the  foot  of  the  street,  but  that  isn’t  large  enough  for  any  use, 
except  when  the  city  had  paving  blocks,  or  something  of  that  sort  come 
up.  .  .  . 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


41 


I  am  informed  there  is  a  landing  also  at  the  city  stables  on  River  Street, 
which  is  just  above  the  new  county  bridge,  and  the  old  bridge  with  a 
considerable  frontage  there.  There  would  be  no  trouble  about  furnish¬ 
ing  ample  accommodations  for  everybody.  .  .  . 

I  won’t  undertake  to  say,  Mr.  Chairman,  exactly  how  deep  this  chan¬ 
nel  ought  to  be.  Your  engineers  have  to  take  into  consideration,  when 
they  build  this  dam,  the  effect  it  will  have  on  the  river.  Of  course,  if  we 
should  have  15  feet  it  will  be  still  better;  and  if  you  are  going  to  spend 
$500,000  to  build  a  dam  for  13  feet,  and  you  can  just  as  well  spend  an¬ 
other  $150,000  to  have  16  or  18  feet,  it  would  be  better  to  do  that. 

James  O’Doherty.  Now  we  have  been  treated  from  the  beginning 
outrageously  by  our  railroad  system.  There  can  be  no  getting  away 
from  that  whatever.  I  bought  this  year  coal  for  $1.50  at  the  mines. 
Now  that  coal  cost  me  here  in  Haverhill  $4.50.  Now,  gentlemen,  you 
take  into  consideration  the  mining  process  —  you  have  been  in  these 
mines  and  you  have  seen  the  kind  of  work  which  went  into  this  - —  and  that 
coal  can  get  aboard  the  cars  at  the  mines  for  $1.50.  The  train  takes  that 
along  to  Mechanicsville;  and  I  must  accept  the  terms.  One  carload  of 
44  tons  was  to  be  here  in  October;  one  was  to  be  here  in  the  beginning 
of  November;  and  the  two  cars  arrived  this  day  week  together.  I  have 
to  go  in  and  take  these  cars  from  a  place  that  is  very  inconvenient  to 
handle.  We  should  have  something  elevated  against  the  cars,  what  you 
call  the  dip-bucket,  and  it  costs  a  great  deal  to  handle  that  coal.  We 
were  handicapped  here  in  that  way  from  the  very  beginning;  and  any 
person  that  knows  anything  about  the  Boston  &  Maine  and  the  New 
Haven,  and  the  whole  of  them,  knows  that  there  is  very  little  respect  or 
love  for  them  in  the  city  in  which  we  live.  .  .  . 

We  do  not  compete  very  much  with  the  south,  and  a  great  many  of 
our  shoes  are  shipped  abroad  to  China,  as  well  as  to  Europe  and  South 
America.  There  are  many  things  that  we  could  receive  from  the  south 
that  would  be  useful  to  us.  Without  asking  too  much,  but  asking  what 
I  consider  honorable,  you  should  take  hold  of  this  thing  and  push  it  along 
and  make  a  success  of  it.  It  matters  not  whether  you  live  in  Cape  Cod 
or  Pittsfield,  or  where  else  you  live,  but  take  pride  in  it  and  say,  “I  am 
a  citizen  of  Massachusetts  and  I  want  to  help  every  corner  of  the  State  as 
best  I  can.”  That  is  what  we  want,  and  that  is  what  I  hope  we  will  all 
get. 

J.  O.  Ellison.  I  have  been  running  a  steamer  on  this  river  for  about 
three  years,  and  I  have  a  pretty  good  idea  of  what  is  needed  on  the  river. 
I  should  say  that  the  steamer  has  been  canying  about  600  tons  of  coal, 
650,  of  about  10|  feet  draft.  She  has  been  coming  up  the  river  during 
that  time.  .  .  . 

For  my  own  personal  interest  I  should  not  be  benefited  any  by  having 
the  river  improved,  but  for  Haverhill  there  is  no  question  but  a  small 
amount  of  money  spent  would  be  a  great  benefit  to  this  section.  You 
can  readily  see  this  steamer  would  be  quite  hard  hit  if  other  vessels  could 


42 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


compete  with  it.  So  long  as  we  are  the  only  ones  that  can  come  on  this 
river,  we  get  the  full  rate.  .  .  . 

We  also  found  that  New  York  and  Boston,  more  especially  New  York, 
business  men  are  very  much  interested  to  have  a  freight  line  to  Haver¬ 
hill.  .  .  . 

Now  the  trouble  with  the  river  for  coming  up  and  down  here  with  big- 
vessels  is  the  swift  current  at  flood  and  ebb  tides.  We  now  can  come  up 
this  river  easy  at  10|  feet.  No  question  about  that.  People  on  the  river 
would  not  allow  that  to  be  the  case,  but  we  can  do  that.  The  great  trouble 
is  the  tide  running  so  swiftly  up  and  back  in  places.  Rock  bridge,  for 
instance,  is  a  very  dangerous  place.  .  .  . 

The  way  to  fix  that  river  is,  there  isn’t  any  question  in  my  mind,  but 
what  'a  dam  should  be  built,  giving  us  about  14  feet  of  water.  .  .  . 

Mr.  Hovey.  If  we  should  make  the  channel  20  feet  would  that  be 
desirable? 

Mr.  Ellison.  Very  desirable  for  Haverhill. 

Mr.  Hovey.  What  width? 

Mr.  Ellison.  I  think  the  channel  is  wide  enough  now;  I  think  they 
might  straighten  it  in  places,  and  make  it  as  -wide  all  the  way. 

Mr.  Hovey.  What  is  the  average  width  now? 

Mr.  Ellison.  About  200  feet.  I  am  not  sure  of  that,  but  it  is  quite 
a  good  channel.  It  may  be  250  to  150  feet.  We  should  have  still  water. 
That  is  all  right  for  most  anything  that  would  come  to  Haverhill. 

Mr.  Hovey.  What  would  you  do  above  here,  to  get  to  Lawrence? 

Mr.  Ellison.  Well,  I  haven’t  gone  into  it  thoroughly,  and  there  is 
only  one  thing  to  do,  that  is,  build  a  canal,  some  work  done  on  a  canal. 
There  is  almost  a  natural  way  up  there.  I  see  where  a  canal  could  be 
put  through  very  cheaply.  It  seems  to  me  with  a  very  small  amount  of 
money  expended  it  would  do  a  great  amount  of  good.  It  would  open  up 
a  big  lot  of  real  estate  here.  I  would  do  what  I  could  for  the  Merrimac 
River. 

Mr.  Hovey.  Can  you  get  all  the  freight  that  comes  in  here? 

Mr.  Ellison.  No,  we  haven’t  the  room;  but  we  carry  some  coal;  and 
we  can  get  better  freight  rates  outside  part  of  the  time;  and  that  is  very 
desirable;  and  we  charter  outside  and  get  good  rates;  and  when  we  do 
better  we  do  not  come.  There  are  disadvantages  in  coming  to  Haverhill 
on  account  of  the  tides,  we  lose  so  much  time  going  up  and  down  the  river. 

Mr.  Hovey.  If  you  had  a  channel  200  feet  wide  and  20  feet  deep  you 
would  not  lose  any  time  coming  up  the  river? 

Mr.  Ellison.  No;  15  feet  or  14  feet.  We  wouldn’t  lose  any  time,  if 
the  one  we  had  now  was  reasonably  still  water.  The  matter  spoken  of 
about  the  dam  affecting  the  freshets,  our  experience  is  you  can  hardly 
tell  there  is  a  freshet  in  the  river  down  at  Lions  Mouth.  The  dam,  I 
don’t  think,  would  do  any  harm  from  the  freshets. 

Arthur  N.  Nason.  Open-minded  men,  either  in  the  Legislature  or 
in  Washington,  think  this  is  a  desirable  development  scheme.  I  think 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


43 


you  can  do  that  and  I  think  your  Board  is  working  along  the  right 
direction;  and  I  think  you  are  going  to  develop  some  facts  and  figures 
which  will  open  the  eyes  of  the  members  of  the  incoming  Legislature 
which  will  have  to  deal  with  your  report,  or  the  authorities  at  Wash¬ 
ington  who  will  have  to  deal  with  it  later  on.  .  .  . 

A  deep  channel  from  Lawrence  to  the  sea  might  cost  more  money  with 
this  proposition  of  the  dams,  and  backing  water  in  the  dams.  You  will 
probably  have  opposition  from  the  mills  in  Lawrence  if  you  develop  locks 
and  dams,  and  you  will  have  the  proposition  of  the  freezing  in  the  winter 
months.  You  must  bear  in  mind  you  have  to  get  the  thing  down  so  fine 
and  so  conclusive  that  you  can  say  to  the  Legislature  to  wdiom  you  are 
going  to  apply  for  money  to  carry  on  this  proposition  that  you  have 
something  definite.  Your  plans  should  carry  two  or  three  different 
schemes,  and  a  cost  of  carrying  out  such  schemes. 

L.  L.  H.  Taylor.  I  am  interested  in  several  ways  in  this  Merrimac 
River  improvement,  as  a  coal  dealer  and  as  a  real  estate  owner. 

I  think  if  we  can  have  the  improvement  of  this  river  that  we  ought  to 
have,  which  is  20  feet  of  water,  there  isn’t  a  piece  of  property  within  2 
miles  of  the  water  front  which  will  not  more  than  double  in  value.  This 
matter  of  the  increase  of  the  value  of  real  estate  is  shown  where  this  mat¬ 
ter  has  been  taken  up  in  other  places.  .  .  . 

You  will  say,  perhaps,  we  are  not  doing  a  great  amount  of  business  on 
this  river.  It  is  not  what  we  are  doing  now,  but  what  we  can  do.  You 
can’t  expect  to  do  much  on  a  river  wrhen  a  boat  that  draws  5  feet  of  water 
will  drag.  The  Merrimac  River  Steamboat  Company  had  a  passenger 
steamer  running  on  the  river,  and  there  were  times  that  boat  would  drag, 
and  not  drawing  over  4|  or  5  feet,  and  there  were  a  great  many  things  like 
that  that  interfered  wfith  the  success  of  that  boat.  She  probably  would 
be  running  yet  if  the  river  was  in  some  kind  of  shape,  but  we  finally  gave 
it  up,  and  she  is  now  at  the  dock. 

I  certainly  believe  in  the  lock  and  dam  and  20  feet  of  water  here;  and 
if  we  simply  had  a  barge,  while  I  don’t  want  to  oppose  anybody  else,  I 
think  you  will  find  the  pilots  and  every  one  else  will  tell  you  the  lock  is 
the  best,  because  it  is  going  to  do  away  with  the  greatest  currents  in  the 
river,  which  are  very  dangerous,  especially  in  and  around  bridges. 

Frank  L.  Ball.  We  consume  at  the  present  time  upwards  of  8,000 
tons  of  soft  coal  a  year,  and  we  are  increasing  in  consumption  at  a  rate 
somewhere  between  20  and  25  per  cent.,  so  that  the  matter  of  advantage 
of  freights  on  coal  and  other  material,  of  which  we  receive  from  time  to 
time  large  quantities  of  heavy  stuff,  machines  and  so  forth,  naturally  we 
would  like  better  conditions  in  getting  freight  rates.  Better  rates  would 
be  of  very  great  benefit,  but  as  I  said  before,  the  principal  interest,  one  of 
the  greatest  interests,  I  have  in  the  matter  would  be,  it  seems  to  me,  that 
our  territory  in  which  we  operate  would  be  very  greatly  benefited  by 
business  in  general,  and  the  development  of  manufactures  and  so  forth. 
With  these  better  facilities  our  earning  capacity  would  be  greatly  increased. 


44 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Henry  E.  Wells.  In  view  of  what  the  State  has  already  done  for 
the  port  of  Boston  and  for  ports  of  Massachusetts,  certainly  this  Merri- 
mac  valley,  which  I  learned  when  a  boy  turned  more  machinery  than  any 
other  river  in  the  world,  is  worth  consideration;  and  as  a  member  of  the 
incoming  Legislature  I  shall  do  all  I  can  to  stand  by  the  report  of  this 
Board;  and  I  hope  the  Board  will  have  no  hesitancy  if  it  feels  it  necessary 
to  ask  for  further  time  in  order  to  work  out  some  feasible  scheme  of  co¬ 
operation  with  the  national  government,  to  do  so. 

William  W.  Emerson.  I  do  not  wish  to  usurp  powers  that  should  be 
delegated  to  your  engineers.  A  13  or  14  foot  channel  does  not  interest 
me  a  little  bit ;  I  don’t  think  it  does  the  larger  operators  in  this  community. 
I  want  20  feet  of  water  to  Haverhill. 

George  Ward  Cook.  This  is  an  enterprising  city.  In  1882  it  was 
burned  over,  destroying  eight  millions  and  a  half  of  property.  Inside  of 
one  year  every  spot  was  covered  over  with  new  buildings.  Other  cities 
have  many  vacant  places  to-day,  and  I  speak  of  that  to  show  the  activity 
of  the  city  of  Haverhill.  .  .  . 

Speaking  of  lock  and  dam  as  against  the  open  channel,  I  have  an  open 
mind.  My  experience  in  all  these  years,  in  this  country  and  others,  it 
appealed  to  me,  —  the  open  channel.  I  can  see  the  lock  and  dam  has 
many  advantages  to  the  open  channel  from  Haverhill  and  Lowell  to  the 
sea,  and  possibly  to  Lawrence.  .  .  .  My  judgment,  and  I  have  been 
watching  it  operate  in  other  sections,  would  be  an  open  channel,  for  trans¬ 
portation  of  freight  to  the  sea,  and  it  would  be  a  great  advantage  and 
better  than  a  closed  channel. 

Statistics  submitted,  under  Date  of  Sept.  20,  1912,  to  Col.  F.  V.  Abbot,  by 

the  Haverhill  Board  of  Trade. 

C.  W.  Arnold  Company,  conducting  the  largest  sole  leather  factory  in 
the  world,  receive  by  rail  about  30  tons  of  leather  per  week  and  send  out 
weekly  25  tons.  Would  ship  about  50  per  cent,  by  water  should  reliable 
line  be  established. 

Between  Jan.  1  and  Sept.  1,  1912,  the  Standard  Oil  Company  delivered 
to  their  Haverhill  station,  by  water,  approximately  2,070  tons  of  refined 
oil  and  gasoline.  During  the  same  period  they  delivered  200  tons  by  rail. 
With  a  14-foot  channel  they  would  be  enabled  to  load  their  barges  to  a 
deeper  draft. 

The  Haverhill  Box  Board  Company  uses  45,000  tons  of  paper  stock  per 
year,  and  if  this  could  be  brought  direct  to  their  wharf,  would  have  at 
least  half  of  it  come  by  water.  The  concern  is  making  over  40,000  tons 
of  box  board  and  a  large  quantity  of  this,  they  state,  could  be  shipped  by 
water.  They  say  it  does  not  pay  them  at  the  present  time  to  have  either 
the  raw  material  or  the  manufactured  product  shipped  by  water,  because 
of  the  necessity  of  having  them  transferred.  The  plant  uses  25,000  tons 
of  coal  a  year,  15,000  tons  of  which  is  shipped  by  water.  Manager  Shortess 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


45 


estimates  a  saving  of  $50,000  a  year  to  the  Box  Board  Company  could 
they  make  use  of  the  river. 

J.  H.  Winchell  &  Co.  receive  15,000  tons  of  freight  a  year,  most  of  which 
would  come  by  water  during  the  season  the  river  is  open  if  the  service 
proved  satisfactory. 

W.  B.  Thom  &  Co.,  hat  manufacturers,  who  use  3,000  tons  of  coal  a 
year,  say  they  would  save  lighterage  and  towage  of  at  least  50  cents  a  ton 
with  deeper  water. 

Carter  Russell  Express  Company,  who  handle  the  bulk  of  the  shoe 
shipments,  believe  that  three-eighths  of  the  shoes  are  transferred  to  the 
southern  sailing  lines  at  Boston. 

The  Boston  &  Maine,  on  September  3,  put  on  a  through  freight  car  from 
Haverhill  to  New  York,  leaving  every  day,  and  the  average  tonnage  has 
been  in  excess  of  what  was  asked  for  a  daily  continuance  of  the  car,  7,000 
pounds. 

J.  O.  Ellison,  a  large  coal  and  automobile  dealer,  who  has  had  much 
experience  on  the  river  and  owns  a  freighter,  says  that  the  real  benefit 
would  be  in  having  a  dam. 

The  shoe  shipments  from  Haverhill  for  the  year  1911  were  530,592; 
averaging  the  weight  at  68  pounds,  the  total  tonnage  was  18,040tVV  tons. 

W.  S.  Chase  &  Sons,  C.  K.  Fox  Company,  Inc.,  and  Ira  Webster 
shipped  all  their  shoes  by  water  when  the  boat  ran  in  1902  and  many 
others  shipped  the  larger  part  by  boat.  H.  E.  Guptill  said  that  he  made 
a  big  saving  by  shipping  by  water  at  that  time,  and  also  that  it  caused 
the  railroad  to  lower  the  rate  from  Haverhill  to  Boston  2  cents  per  hundred 
weight. 

Mr.  E.  H.  Moulton,  wholesale  dealer  in  meats  and  provisions,  said  that 
during  the  time  the  freighter  ran  the  railroad  company  reduced  rates  to 
him  4  cents  per  hundred  or  from  9  to  5  cents,  and  now  they  charge  him 
11  cents.  Shipping  was  much  more  prompt  then  than  now.  His  freight 
is  20,000  tons  in  and  2,900  tons  out,  total,  22,900  tons. 

In  1903  there  was  for  a  short  time  a  boat  line  from  Haverhill  to  Boston, 
saving  from  2  to  12  cents  per  hundred  on  freight;  but  the  boat  could. travel 
on  the  river  only  when  the  tide  was  in,  having  to  lay  over  twelve  hours 
each  trip,  making  the  trips  so  far  apart  that  the  scheme  was  abandoned 
until  such  time  as  she  could  make  daily  trips.  With  14  feet  of  water  an 
average  of  25  per  cent,  would  be  saved  upon  a  large  part  of  our  freight. 

Freight  rates  were  decreased  b}^  the  Boston  &  Maine  2  cents  per  hun¬ 
dred  while  the  boat  was  on,  but  were  raised  again  when  it  was  discontinued. 

Many  concerns  say  that  they  pay  at  the  present  time  20  cents  per  ton 
for  unloading  from  the  barge  to  the  lighter,  and  35  cents  per  ton  for  use 
of  lighters  and  towing.  This  makes  a  total  of  55  cents  per  ton  to  bring 
it  up  the  river.  They,  of  course,  have  to  pay  for  unloading  from  the 
lighters  on  to  the  wharf,  and  this  charge  would  be  just  the  same  if  it  came 
by  barge.  It  is  hard  to  say  exactly  what  would  be  saved,  therefor,  by 
having  a  channel  up  the  river,  as  probably  the  barges  would  have  to  be 


46 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


towed,  so  they  would  still  have  a  towing  charge.  The  concerns  would, 
however,  save  the  20  cents  for  unloading,  and  part  of  the  35  cents  for  the 
use  of  the  lighters  and  towing. 

Over  125,000  tons  of  coal  are  annually  brought  up  the  river. 

Mr.  C.  W.  Thom,  of  the  W.  B.  Thom  &  Co.,  hat  manufacturers,  ex¬ 
presses  the  opinion  that  the  river  has  not  been  improved,  but  on  the  con¬ 
trary  conditions  have  been  made  worse  by  taking  the  Nashua  River  out 
of  the  Merrimac,  and  by  allowing  the  river  to  be  absolutely  cut  in  two, 
and  the  flow  stopped  entirely  at  times  at  Lawrence  and  Lowell. 

The  Haverhill  Electric  Company  receives  about  8,000  tons  of  New 
River  coal  at  their  plant  each  year.  This  coal  is  shipped  to  Newburyport 
by  barge,  there  transferred  into  lighters  and  towed  up  the  river.  That  is 
their  total  receipt  of  coal. 

Following  are  number  of  tons  of  coal  used  by  dealers  and  a  few  of  the 
larger  power  plants,  annually :  — 


Taylor-Goodwin  Company,  Haverhill,  ......  20,000 

Bean  &  Watson,  Haverhill,  ........  4,000 

D.  D.  Chase  Lumber  Company,  Haverhill,  .....  6,000 

H.  L.  Taylor  &  Co.,  Haverhill, . 10,000 

J.  O.  Ellison  &  Co.,  Haverhill,  .......  18,000 

Haverhill  Milling  Company,  Haverhill,  ......  3,500 

W.  B.  Thom  &  Co.,  Haverhill,  .......  3,000 

Haverhill  Box  Board  Company,  Haverhill,  .....  25,000 

Groveland  Mills,  Groveland,  ........  4,000 

Geo.  C.  Elliott,  Haverhill,  .  .  .  ...  .  .  .  7,500 

Bay  State  Street  Railroad,  Haverhill,  ......  5,500 

A.  P.  Jaques  (power  plant)  Haverhill,  ......  1,500 

Haverhill  Electric  Company,  Haverhill,  ......  8,000 

E.  Charlesworth  (power  plant),  Haverhill,  .....  1,100 

D.  T.  Kennedy  (power  plant),  Haverhill,  .....  2,000 

I.  H.  Winchell  &  Co.,  Inc.,  Haverhill,  ......  1,000 

Haverhill  Water  Board,  Haverhill,  .  .  .  .  .  .1,700 


Following  are  a  few  large  shoe  manufacturers  who  will  use  water  route, 
in  all  probability:  — 

H.  B.  Goodrich  &  Co.,  7,000  cases,  65  pounds  each,  50  per  cent,  water. 
Hilliard  &  Taber,  15,000  cases,  70  pounds  each,  100  per  cent,  water. 

Austin  H.  Perry  Company,  20,800  cases,  77  pounds  each,  100  per  cent,  water. 

J.  41.  Winchell  &  Co.,  Inc.  40,000  cases,  60  pounds  each,  50  per  cent,  water. 
W.  S.  Chase  &  Sons,  6,000  cases,  60  pounds  each,  100  per  cent,  water. 

C.  K.  Fox  Company,  Inc.,  24,000  cases,  60  pounds  each,  100  per  cent,  water. 
H.  E.  Guptill,  8,000  cases,  65  pounds  each,  90  per  cent,  water. 

F.  M.  Hodgdon,  30,000  cases,  70  to  75  pounds,  50  per  cent,  water.1 
A.  W.  Greeley  would  send  100  tons  by  water. 


1  Probable. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


47 


Lawrence . 

Population, .  85,892 

River  frontage  (miles), .  7 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $78,710,803 

Number  of  establishments, .  129 

Bread  and  other  bakery  products. 

Carriages  and  wagons  and  materials. 

Cotton  goods. 

Foundry  and  machine-shop  products. 

Sausage,  not  made  in  slaughtering  and  meat-packing  establishments. 


Tobacco  manufactures. 

Woolen  and  worsted  goods. 

Other  industries. 

Capital  invested, . $90,437,738 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . $42,915,080 

Amount  of  wages  paid  during  the  year, . $13,886,514 

Wage  earners  employed, .  29,251 

Value  of  product, . $70,315,376 


Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves :  — 

That  the  city  council  of  Lawrence,  the  legally  elected  and  qualified  municipal 
governing  board  of  the  city  of  Lawrence,  believing  that  the  dredging  of  the 
Merrimac  River  so  that  it  will  be  navigable  would  be  of  inestimable  benefit 
to  Lawrence  and  its  suburbs,  do  hereby  favor  the  construction  of  a  municipal 
wharf  or  pier  to  accommodate  any  vessels  which  would  come  up  the  river 
from  the  sea  in  the  event  of  the  said  river  being  made  navigable,  and  do  further 
pledge  (so  far  as  they  are  able)  the  city  of  Lawrence  to  the  erection  of  said 
wharf  or  pier  in  the  event  of  the  said  river  being  made  navigable  for  coastwise 
vessels. 

Answers  to  questions  in  circular  letters,  concerning  amount  of  coal  used, 
etc. :  — 

To  question  1:  Tons  coal  delivered,  404,495;  price  per  ton,  $4.50  to 
$8;  freight  rate,  $2.25  to  $2.35,  all  rail  from  mines  to  Lawrence. 

To  question  2:  It  is  the  opinion  of  the  various  firms  in  the  city  that 
from  35  to  50  cents  a  ton  could  be  saved  were  the  coal  to  be  received  by 
water  instead  of  by  rail. 

To  question  3:  Replies  to  this  question  received  by  the  Merrimac 
Valley  Waterway  Board  totaled  271,635  tons  of  freight. 

To  question  4:  The  opinion  is  expressed  that  from  40  cents  to  $1  per 
ton  would  be  saved  on  freight  were  a  water  route  available.  Many  firms 
answering  this  question  gave  a  lump  sum  as  the  estimated  saving;  as,  for 
example,  “we  would  save  $1,500  on  freight  charges.” 

To  question  5:  The  answers  brought  out  a  total  of  35,848  tons  of  freight 
which  might  be  shipped  by  water  were  the  river  improved  so  as  to  make 


48 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


shipping  possible.  The  tonnage  to  this  question  will  not  do  justice  to  the 
amount  of  freight  which  might  be  shipped  by  water  because  a  great  many 
of  the  business  houses,  in  reply  to  this  question,  answered  in  a  general  way 
instead  of  answering  in  the  customary  units  of  tons;  for  example,  “we 
would  ship  all  of  our  freight  by  water;  ”  “as  much  of  our  raw  material 
comes  from  the  south  we  would  make  use  of  a  water  route;”  “one-half  of 
our  outward  freight  of  a  similar  nature.”  Thus,  no  light  is  thrown  on  the 
question  of  what  the  actual  tonnage  w^ould  be. 

To  question  6:  Only  two  firms  had  the  ownership  of  title  to  land  on  the 
water  front,  but  the  majority  are  in  favor  of  procuring  a  wharf,  to  be  used 
in  conjunction  with  other  firms,  for  the  receipt  and  despatch  of  freight 
and  passengers. 

To  question  7 :  Answered  under  question  6. 

To  question  8:  Some  placed  the  depth  at  10  feet,  while  others  placed 
it  at  20. 

Extracts  from  statements  made  at  public  hearing  held  Nov. 
26,  1912,  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  and  from 
letters  received :  — 

Hon.  M.  A.  Scanlon,  Mayor  of  Lawrence.  We  are  a  city  of  86,000 
people  here,  a  large  manufacturing  city,  the  value  of  our  manufactured 
products  being  larger  than  any  other  city  of  New  England  outside  of  the 
city  of  Boston.  We  import  a  great  many  thousands  of  tons  of  material, 
and  we  feel  it  will  assist  business  men  and  the  community  to  a  great  extent 
by  having  this  work  accomplished. 

Frederick  J.  Sullivan.  The  city  of  Lawrence  is  a  city  of  about  86,000 
population;  its  area  is  72  square  miles;  the  value  of  our  manufactured 
products  is  about  ninety  millions;  the  assessed  valuation  is  about  seventy- 
three  millions.  The  city  of  Lawrence  stands  second  of  the  cities  of  Massa¬ 
chusetts  in  the  value  of  its  manufactured  product,  and  is  exceeded  only 
by  the  city  of  Boston.  Lawrence  and  the  towns  about  it  is  the  greatest 
textile  center  in  this  country,  and  is  surpassed  by  only  one  city  in  the 
world,  which  is  Bradford,  Eng. 

A  committee  from  the  Board  of  Trade  interviewed  the  manufacturers 
to  get  some  idea  of  the  amount  of  freight  brought  into  Lawrence,  and  the 
amount  of  freight  that  is  handled  here.  We  are  able  to  learn  that  the 
amount  of  soft  coal  that  is  brought  into  Lawrence  every  year  was  some¬ 
thing  like  425,000  tons;  the  amount  of  hard  coal,  85,000  tons;  lumber, 
120,000  tons;  groceries  and  provisions,  17,000- tons;  merchandise,  such  as 
would  be  received  by  the  retail  dealers  in  town,  400,000  tons;  raw  mate¬ 
rials,  miscellaneous  matters,  315,000  tons;  and  outward  freight  something 
over  50,000  tons,  so  that  the  figures  which  were  delivered  to  our  committee 
showred  that  the  amount  of  freight  handled  was  something  like  1,500,000 
tons  per  year.  We  have,  however,  been  unfortunate  enough  to  get  more 
specific  information  about  the  total  tonnage  which  is  handled  here,  which 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


49 


amounts  to  the  amazing  figure  of  2,400,000  tons.  The  receipts  from  the 
city  of  Lawrence  for  their  freight  service  is  $2,000,000  per  year,  which  is 
one-twentieth  per  cent,  of  the  gross  earnings  of  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Railroad. 

If  the  Merrimac  River  were  opened,  as  the  project  is  now  before  the 
people,  as  far  as  the  benefit  to  the  city  of  Lawrence  goes  it  would  develop 
sites  for  industrial  concerns;  it  would  not  only  enhance  the  revenue  of 
our  city,  but  also  the  State  and  the  country. 

The  question  of  our  railroad  and  transportation  facilities  at  the  present 
time  is  something  that  must  be  considered  in  treating  this  developing  of 
the  Merrimac  River  proposition.  We  have,  as  you  know,  but  one  rail¬ 
road  in  the  New  England  States,  which  is  the  New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford.  A  short  while  ago  a  committee  froih  the  Board  of  Trade  saw 
the  vice-president  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad,  who  had  charge  of  the 
development  of  the  southern  New  England  Grand  Trunk  business,  and 
we  spent  the  greater  part  of  an  afternoon  with  him.  We  were  assured 
that  the  Grand  Trunk  wanted  to  come  into  New  England,  and  we  felt  it 
would  be  a  good  thing  for  Lawrence  if  we  could  get  some  competition. 
The  railroads  receive  you  courteous^,  but  when  it  comes  to  remedying 
conditions,  you  are  about  as  well  off  when  you  return  as  when  you  go  down. 
It  seems  to  me  the  city  of  Lawrence  and  New  England  is  in  the  grip  of 
this  great  big  monopoly,  and  it  seems  to  me  this  one  little  thing  which  has 
happened  here  is  about  as  strong  an  argument  as  can  be  advanced  why 
there  should  be  some  competition  in  the  Merrimac  valley,  and  that  com¬ 
petition  by  the  opening  of  the  waterway  of  the  Merrimac. 

James  T.  O’Reilly.  I  should  say  from  the  figures  that  the  secretary 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  has  presented  that  we  ought  to  be  able  to  save  to 
the  citizens  of  Lawrence  alone  every  year  from  two  million  to  three  million 
dollars  in  freight.  Now  that  sum  would  pay  the  interest  on  quite  a  large 
expense  that  might  be  incurred  in  opening  up  this  great  waterway.  .  .  . 

Horace  Hale  Smith.  I  have  made  a  close  study  of  this  proposition 
on  the  navigation  of  the  Merrimac  River  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  it 
seems  to  me  it  is  perfectly  feasible,  from  an  engineering  standpoint  and  a 
navigational  standpoint,  to  open  up  this  river  so  it  can  be  used  as  a  port, 
so  that  Lawrence  can  be  used  as  a  port. 

There  are  several  methods  of  opening  the  river ;  some  are  good  methods 
and  some  are  not.  It  has  often  been  suggested  that  a  dam  at  Mitchells 
Falls  or  a  dam  at  Lions  Mouth  would  help  the  navigation,  with  locks; 
but  it  would  be  a  hindrance,  and  the  only  good  that  that  would  do  would 
be  to  light-draft  vessels;  it  would  be  only  possible  for  small  craft,  barges, 
and  any  shipping  by  way  of  barges  would  soon  be  gobbled  up  by  the  New 
Haven  railroad.  If  we  have  a  deep  waterway  to  Lawrence,  some  20  or 
22  feet  deep  at  mean  tide,  we  could  get  steamers  to  Lawrence,  and  be 
saved  from  being  taken  up  by  the  railroad,  and  we  could  keep  an  open 
competition. 

From  Haverhill  to  Lawrence  on  the  river  to  the  center  of  each  city  it  is 
about  10  miles.  By  cutting  through  a  canal  from  the  ball  ground  in 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


50 

Haverhill  to  the  south  of  Ward  Hill,  to  a  point  in  the  river  above  Ward 
Hill  station,  we  would  save  3  miles  on  the  river,  making  7  miles  from 
center  to  center  of  the  city.  Cutting  a  dam  through  the  river  and  up  to 
the  poor  farm  in  Lawrence,  with  a  bottom  width  of  200  feet  and  on  the 
curve  a  bottom  width  of  250  to  300  feet,  to  allow  for  the  swing  of  the  river, 
we  would  have  to  cut  25  feet,  30  feet  below  the  river  bed,  and  we  would 
avoid  ledges  at  Mitchells  Falls.  This  width  of  200  feet  would  be  neces¬ 
sary  for  tramp  steamers  and  coastwise  shipping  to  allow  for  the  swing  of 
the  steamer  in  making  the  curves  in  going  against  the  current.  It  will  be 
an  easy  matter  to  keep  in  a  narrow  channel,  but  in  descending  the  stream 
it  would  take  more  room  to  maneuver  the  steamers,  especially  if  they  were 
single-screw  boats.  When  we  get  to  Lawrence  it  would  be  a  feasible 
scheme  to  have  a  turning  basin  outside  North  Andover  depot,  and  arrange 
for  docks  just  below  that,  where  the  training  school  and  soap  factory  are. 
There  is  a  large  territory  down  there  and  good  available  land  on  which  you 
could  arrange  for  dockage  and  trackage  from  the  railroads. 

An  open-cut  canal  channel,  deep-water  channel,  will  be  much  better 
in  winter,  because  there  will  be  less  ice  in  it.  A  dam  would  hold  the  ice 
in  the  river  longer  and  interfere  with  the  water  power,  whereas  a  deep 
waterway  would  increase  the  water  power  some  20  to  30  per  cent.  .  .  . 

Q.  Have  you  investigated  the  feasibility  of  going  along  up  to  Lowell, 
for  instance?  A.  Down  to  Lawrence  dam  is  14  feet  of  water,  all  the  way 
to  Bell  Grove,  and  from  Bell  Grove  to  Hunt’s  Rapids  is  6  feet  of  water. 
I  have  had  occasion  to  sound  there.  I  had  the  first  gasoline  launch  in 
this  part  of  the  State,  and  I  sounded  the  whole  river  from  Bell  Grove  to 
Mitchells  Falls;  6  feet  of  water  all  the  way,  with  one  or  two  exceptions. 

Mr.  LIovey.  Have  you  made  any  plan,  outside  of  what  you  men¬ 
tioned,  for  the  improvement  of  the  river,  any  definite  plans  of  any  kind? 

No,  I  have  not. 

Mr.  Hovey.  Or  drawings? 

Not  at  present. 

Mr.  Hovey.  Suppose  there  was  a  dam  at  Mitchells  Falls,  and  a  lock, 
how  much  less  would  have  to  be  dredged  from  Mitchells  Falls  to  Lawrence 
than  if  there  was  no  dam  there,  simply  a  canal  and  a  deep  cut? 

It  would  depend  upon  the  height  of  your  dam.  You  could  build  a  dam 
22  feet  high  and  not  dredge  at  all,  and  that  would  cut  out  all  our  water 
power. 

Mr.  Hovey.  Suppose  the  plan  called  for  upper  level  of  a  very  few 
feet  above  the  present  level  of  the  river? 

You  would  have  to  cut  a  channel  about  15  or  17  or  18  feet  deep  at  that. 

Mr.  Hovey.  The  difference  would  be  5  or  6  feet? 

Yes;  very  little  below,  between  here  and  the  sea;  it  is  mostly  at 
Mitchells  Falls. 

Q.  A  dam  5  feet  high  would  back  up  on  the  water  here?  A.  Yes. 

Q.  Is  the  flow  of  water  regular  and  uniform,  or  does  it  vary?  A.  In  dry 
time  it  is  very  regular,  with  the  operation  of  the  mills.  After  the  mills 


/ 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


51 


run  there  is  a  difference.  At  night  when  they  are  shut  down  it  is  much 
less.  In  the  spring  there  is  a  large  volume  coming  down. 

Q.  Have  you  considered  whether  or  not  it  would  be  feasible  to  dam  up 
the  head  waters  and  let  the  water  down?  A.  I  don’t  think  there  would 
be  any  to  spare;  the  water  power  takes  all  they  have;  in  fact,  it  is  not 
enough. 

Q.  Couldn’t  it  be  arranged  with  large  dams  and  freshets,  so  the  surplus 
water  could  be  stored?  A.  There  would  be  water  enough  with  the 
present  arrangement  to  hold  the  dam  full  at  Mitchells  Falls.  What 
would  come  down  from  the  mills  would  fill  the  locks,  and  some  to  spare. .  .  . 

The  only  very  crooked  parts  of  the  river  are  two  places,  where  the  river 
goes  around  Ward  Hill  station,  and  another  at  Deer  Island.  By  cutting 
it  off  at  Ward  Hill  it  takes  out  one  point,  and  makes  the  canal  almost 
straight  from  Lawrence  to  Haverhill;  and  there  is  a  possibility  of  cutting 
off  a  part  of  the  large  point  at  Deer  Island.  .  .  . 

John  E.  Horne.  I  have  lived  here  in  Lawrence  about  forty  years. 
...  I  can  remember  coal  being  brought  up  here  by  two  navigation  com¬ 
panies,  and  I  should  think  it  was  about  time  it  really  was  opened  up  to  a 
good  size,  and  up  to  date.  I  was  on  the  committee  to  gather  statistics 
about  the  incoming  freight,  especially  iron  and  coal,  and  so  on,  and  found 
that  there  was  about  173,000  tons,  all  of  which  can  come  up  here  by  water 
from  Philadelphia,  New  York  or  Boston.  It  is  a  very  easy  matter  to  ship 
all  of  that  here.  It  could  be  brought  in  quantities  so  as  to  be  divided 
up  on  getting  here,  and  thus  save  an  enormous  lot  of  freight.  .  .  . 

George  Dinsmore.  We  all  realize  that  one  of  the  greatest  means  to 
our  industrial  life  is  the  rapidly  diminishing  lumber  supply.  Few  of  us 
realize  the  fact  that  the  Merrimac  valley  cities  are  among  the  greatest 
consumers  of  lumber  for  the  same  area  in  the  world.  All  of  our  great 
textile  plants  use  packing  cases  in  great  volume;  and  in  this  region  we 
wholly  depend  on  the  local  sources  of  supply.  I  will  say  nothing  about 
building  lumber,  because  I  know  nothing  about  that;  but  I  would  say 
the  box  shops  consume  from  twenty  to  thirty  million  feet  of  lumber 
annually;  the  box  shops  of  Lowell  use  about  the  same  quantity,  and  in 
Haverhill  a  little  less.  In  Philadelphia  and  other  places  where  they  have 
water  routes,  southern  pine  is  used  in  great  quantities.  The  fact  that  we 
depend  on  the  local  supply  works  disadvantageously.  .  .  . 

M.  F.  Sullivan.  Lawrence,  with  eighty  to  ninety  thousand  of  people, 
is  a  fast-growing  community.  Just  think  of  Lowell,  Lawrence,  Man¬ 
chester,  Concord,  that  furnish  most  of  the  cotton  and  woolen  goods 
of  the  country.  We  have  such  poor  means  of  transportation,  simply  be¬ 
cause  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  has  had  a  monopoly  of  the  trans¬ 
portation.  .  .  . 

Robert  J.  McCartney.  It  strikes  me  that  if  we  had  the  Merrimac 
River  navigable  so  we  could  get  the  heavy  portions  of  our  freight  here, 
we  would  get  better  results  from  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad.  The 
coal  men  complain  of  the  fact  that  there  is  delay  in  getting  the  coal  here; 


52 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


they  have  not  the  facilities  as  in  Boston.  If  we  could  get  the  coal  here 
in  the  original  vessels,  this  might  be  a  distributing  point,  and  that  would 
relieve  the  pressure  in  Boston.  Coal  could  be  shipped  from  here  to  Man¬ 
chester  and  all  the  intervening  points.  It  is  very  difficult  to  get  freight 
here,  and  it  is  very  bad  for  most  of  the  large  concerns;  they  are  con¬ 
tinually  complaining.  I  am  on  the  committee  on  railroads  from  the  Board 
of  Trade  to  look  after  those  things;  and  I  get  a  great  many  complaints 
all  the  time;  and  it  does  not  seem  to  be  any  use  to  go  to  the  Boston  & 
Maine  Railroad;  and  the  only  relief  to  me  would  be  to  navigate  the  Merri- 
mac  River;  and  that  without  any  dams  whatever.  .  .  . 

Justin  E.  Varney.  I  have  had  some  personal  experience  in  shipping 
freight  to  Portland,  and  I  can  ship  freight  from  Boston  to  Portland  as 
cheapR  as  I  can  ship  it  from  Boston  to  Lawrence.  I  can  ship  freight  from 
Boston  to  Portland  by  the  Boston  &  Maipe  Railroad  very  nearly  as  cheaply 
as  I  can  ship  it  by  boat,  all  because  of  the  waterway  and  the  vessels  going 
from  Boston  to  Portland.  If  I  want  to  ship  freight  from  Boston  to  Dover, 
N.  H.,  or  any  place  this  side  of  Portland,  then  I  have  to  pay  for  it.  .  .  . 
If  we  have  a  waterway  for  shipping,  it  will  bring  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Railroad  to  terms. 

Michael  J.  Sullivan.  I  think  that  with  six  or  seven  hundred  thou¬ 
sand  tons  of  coal  used  in  the  city  of  Lawrence  that  the  mills  could  save 
nearly  that  much  money  in  their  product.  Part  of  that  we  might  expect 
to  go  into  the  profits  of  the  mills,  but  the  greater  portion  ought  to  go  into 
the  pockets  of  the  people  who  consume  the  product  of  those  mills.  It  is  a 
question  which  concerns  the  whole  nation.  .  .  . 

It  is  a  question,  of  course,  with  the  congestion  of  freight  that  is  distress¬ 
ing  our  citizens  now,  and  it  will  be  worse. in  the  future.  There  must  be 
another  railroad  built  into  this  valley.  Now,  it  seems  to  me  the  best  way 
would  be  to  build  something  that  would  be  cheaper  than  transporting 
materials  over  the  railroad.  It  would  cost  no  less  than  $6,000,000  to 
build  a  railroad  to  take  care  of  the  extra  work  necessary  to  be  done  now. 
Why  not  have  the  government  build  something  cheaper,  and  not  build  the 
railway?  I  claim  it  is  much  better  for  the  government  to  build  a  canal, 
and  have  it  done  much  cheaper  than  the  railroad  could  possibly  do  it. 
The  whole  country  needs  it,  we  need  it. 

Cyrus  Beebe.  We  would  like  these  deep  waterways,  and  from  the 
standpoint  of  my  own  line  of  business,  that  of  building  lumber,  I  can  show 
only  the  reports  from  other  localities  who  have  the  choice  of  deep  water¬ 
ways,  with  schooner  shipments,  — •  more  freight  than  by  steamer  shipment, 
and  that  has  proved  a  very  great  advantage  in  the  line  of  building  lumber. 
...  It  is  a  fact  that  shipments  of  rough  building  lumber  from  Canada, 
and  other  sections  which  are  coming  to  be  the  present  sources  of  supply, 
can  be  brought  here  by  schooner  shipment  much  better  than  they  can  by 
rail.  It  is  a  fact  that  a  lumber  man,  if  he  cannot  get  schooners  to  charter, 
will  build  one  himself, .because  it  is  known  a  schooner  will  pay  for  itself 
in  three  or  four  years  if  properly  handled.  This  deep  waterway  project 
appeals  very  much  to  members  of  my  line  of  business. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


53 


Hugo  Beil.  If  this  deep  waterway  was  brought  about  it  would  help 
solve  some  of  the  difficulties  that  have  been  hanging  over  Lawrence  for 
ten  years.  One  is  that  the  railroad  claim  they  cannot  accommodate  the 
manufacturers  in  a  satisfactory  manner  with  freight,  and  we  therefore 
were  prevented  from  getting  a  central  bridge,  and  another  bridge  called 
East  bridge.  With  a  deep  waterway  Lawrence  would  have  a  central 
bridge,  and  the  railroad  could  not  stand  in  the  way  of  that  project,  which 
is  of  vital  interest  to  all  the  citizens.  Also,  that  the  saving  that  would 
be  made  to  the  city  of  Lawrence,  with  everything  else,  in  a  period  of  eight 
years  would  pay  for  the  expense  of  that  project,  so  that  it  would  be  of 
great  benefit  to  the  Lawrence  citizens. 

I  feel  that  a  deep  waterway  could  be  used  with  no  dams;  that  would 
be  the  only  feasible  plan.  Some  ten  years  ago  I  had  a  steamboat  which 
came  up  the  river.  At  Mitchells  Falls  we  encountered  a  source  of  diffi¬ 
culty,  even  with  a  pilot  we  obtained  at  Haverhill  to  assist  us,  and  thal 
steamer  drawing  only  about  4  feet  of  water.  .  .  . 

I  would  state  that  the  rails  now  go  down  to  what  is  known  as  the  gas 
company  buildings,  and  by  carrying  those  rails  only  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  further,  it  would  give  splendid  privileges  for  a  large  coaling  district, 
wharves,  etc.,  necessary;  and  also  for  the  upbuilding  of  more  factories. 
I  think  it  would  be  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  for  Lawrence. 

John  Hogan.  I  think  the  deep-water  channel  up  from  tidewater 
will  be  of  great  benefit  to  this  city;  and  I  would  like  to  see  it  come  up  to 
Lowell  and  give  us  the  benefit  of  it. 

J.  Frank  James.  As  a  member  of  the  committee  appointed  to  look 
up  statistics  in  regard  to  the  amount  of  freight  received  and  sent  out, 
I  had  an  opportunity  to  visit  every  wholesaler  in  the  line  of  groceries, 
lumber  and  things  of  that  kind,  and  I  want  to  say  they  received  us  with 
open  arms,  and  opened  up  their  books  and  did  everything  they  could  to 
help  us;  and  I  did  not  find  a  person  who  was  not  only  too  glad  to  get  out 
and  do  everything  they  could  to  help  the  matter  along.  It  is  a  public 
necessity,  and  we  need  it. 

In  regard  to  the  business  of  Lawrence,  we  do  not  want  to  look  at  twenty 
years  ago,  and  we  do  not  want  to  look  at  the  business  of  to-day;  but  we 
want  to  remember  that  Lawrence,  only  a  few  years  ago,  had  25,000,  and 
it  is  getting  on  towards  the  100,000  mark.  That  means  that  the  business 
is  growing.  .  .  . 

I  think  this  deepened  river  affair  is  going  to  help  not  only  the  people  of 
Lawrence  but  is  going  to  help  the  railroad  men  to  handle  the  business, 
which  they  cannot  do  to-day.  Whatever  the  reason  is  I  do  not  know,  but 
they  cannot  handle  the  business. 

I  believe  the  channel  should  be  of  an  average  depth  of  22  feet,  with 
turning  basins,  one  in  the  vicinity  of  Lawrence,  one  in  Haverhill,  and  one 
in  Amesbury. 


54 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Freight  Traffic  at  Lawrence ,  from  Figures  compiled  by  the  Lawrence  Board  of 

Trade. 


Pacific  Mills:  — 

Cotton,  ..... 

Wool, . 

Coal,  ..... 
Miscellaneous  freight, 

Woven  cloth,  .... 

Atlantic  Mills:  — 

Material,  ..... 
Coal,  ..... 
Oil  and  kerosene, 

Manufactured  product, 

Waste,  ..... 

E.  Frank  Lewis,  wool  scourer:  — 
Coal,  ..... 
Wool,  handled,  .... 
Ayer  Mill :  — 

Coal,  ..... 

Wool, . 

Pemberton  Mills:  — 

Coal,  ..... 
Cotton,  ..... 
Miscellaneous  freight, 

Washington  Mills:  — 

Coal,  ..... 
Wool,  ..... 
Oil,  kerosene,  etc., 

Waste,  ..... 

Walworth  Bros.:  — 

Use  30  tons  of  coal  per  week. 

Far  well  Bleachery:  — 

8,000  tons  of  coal  per  year. 

Kimball  Shoe  Company :  — 

400  tons  per  year. 


5,000  tons  per  annum. 1 
5,000  tons  per  annum. 1 
75,000  tons  per  annum. 1 
30,000  tons  per  annum. 1 
5,000  tons  per  annum.  2 


3,750  tons. 1 
7,000  tons. 1 
200  tons. 1 
18,000  bales.  2 
2,000  bales. 2 


4,000  tons. . 
11,000  tons. 

25,000  tons. 
8,500  tons. 

2,200  tons. 
1,350  tons. 
150  tons. 

67,000  tons. 
15,000  tons. 
15  tons. 
1,000  tons. 


Summary  of  the  Classes  of  Freight,  and  General  Statistics  as  to  City  of  Law¬ 
rence,  from  Figures  compiled  by  the  Lawrence  Board  of  Trade. 

The  Board  of  Trade  of  Lawrence  have  submitted  the  following  figures 
for  the  information  of  the  Merrimac  Yalley  Waterway  Board;  the  results 
are  compiled  from  letters  sent  in  by  the  various  concerns  in  the  city  of 
Lawrence,  with  such  other  figures  as  were  in  the  possession  of  the  Board 
of  Trade. 


1  Incoming  freight. 


2  Outward  freight. 


i 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


da 


The  inward  freight  is  itemized  as  follows :  — 

Tons. 

Soft  coal, .  425,000 

Hard  coal, .  85,000 

Lumber, .  120,000 

Groceries  and  provisions,  ........  17,000 

Merchandise, .  400,000 

Raw  material  and  miscellaneous  freight,  .....  315,000 


Total, .  1,362,000 


Statistics  as  to  outward  freight  are  very  meagre,  those  available  to  the 
Board  of  Trade  amounting  to  but  45,000  tons. 

Official  figures  obtained  from  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  giving  the 
outward  and  inward  traffic  in  the  city  of  Lawrence,  are  as  follows:  inward 
and  outward  freight,  2,400,000  tons  per  year. 

The  freight  receipts  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  for  the  year  1911 
for  the  city  of  Lawrence  amounted  to  the  sum  of  $2,000,000,  which  is 
five  per  cent,  of  the  gross  business  of  the  Boston  &  Maine  system. 

Lawrence  is  the  fastest  growing  city  in  Essex  County;  a  great  manu¬ 
facturing  center  on  the  Merrimac  River,  which  turns  more  spindles  than 
any  other  stream  in  the  world;  26  miles  from  Boston;  20  miles  from  the* 
sea. 

Population,  85,892;  polls,  21,737;  assessed  valuation,  $75,500,000;. 
•  tax  rate,  $17.60. 

The  focus  of  six  lines  of  railroads,  30  passenger  trains  to  and  from  the 
city  daily.  Center  of  a  great  electric  railway  plant,  controlling  50  miles 
of  track,  9,000,000  passengers  a  year. 

Gas  and  electricity,  low  rates  for  lighting  and  power.  The  great  dam 
develops  155  mill  powers,  11,896  gross  horse-power.  Capital  of  factories 
using  water  power,  $15,000,000. 

Thirty  school  buildings,  15,000  pupils  in  public  and  private  schools; 
public  industrial  school. 

Two  national,  3  trust  companies,  3  savings  and  co-operative  banks. 
Assets  of  savings  banks,  $17,000,000. 

A  handsome  public  library  of  60,000  volumes. 

Ninety-five  miles  of  broad  streets  well  kept,  3  steam  rollers  and  crusher 
plant. 

Sixty  miles  of  sewer.  Park  system  of  136  acres. 

A  water  supply,  high  and  low  service,  unequalled  in  the  world. 

An  efficient  fire  department,  9  fire  stations;  lowest  fire  insurance  rates' 
in  the  State. 

Forty  churches,  1  artillery,  2  infantry  companies,  in  handsome  State 
armory. 

A  shire  town  of  Essex  County,  Court  House  and  Registry  of  Deeds. 


56 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Lowell. 

Population, .  106,294 

River  frontage  (miles), .  11.8 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $87,041,693 

Number  of  establishments, .  230 


Boots  and  shoes. 

Boxes,  fancy  and  paper. 

Boxes,  wooden  packing. 

Bread  and  other  bakery  products. 

Confectionery. 

Copper,  tin,  and  sheet-iron  products. 

Cotton  goods. 

Cotton  small  wares. 

Foundry  and  machine-shop  products. 

Lumber,  planing-mill  products. 

Patent  medicines  and  compounds  and  druggists’  preparations. 


Tobacco  manufactures. 

« 

Woolen  and  worsted  goods. 

Other  industries. 

Capital  invested, . $57,414,649 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . $31,794,009 

Amount  of  wages  paid  during  the  year, . $13,774,880 

Wage  earners  employed, .  30,951 

Value  of  product, . $56,690,584  t 


From  Hunts  Falls,  from  the  commencement  up  above  the  mouth  of  the 
Concord  River,  the  Locks  and  Canals  Company  have  been  constructing  for 
many  years,  and  has  it  now  nearly  constructed,  a  long  granite  embankment. 
.  .  .  Entering  the  Concord  River,  at  a  distance  of  about  500  feet,  is  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  a  fine  set  of  locks  and  canals,  and  which  by  three  rises  puts  one 
above  Pawtucket  dam.  There  is  a  perfect  chance  for  all  kinds  of  wharfage 
along  this  new  embankment,  which  is  now  built  by  the  Locks  and  Canal  Com¬ 
pany  on  either  side.  The  city  of  Lowell  has  a  large  public  city  landing  above 
the  mills. 

Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves :  — 

On  behalf  of  his  honor  the  mayor  and  members  of  the  municipal  council 
I  beg  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  communication  of  January  17,  and  to 
say  that  the  same  will  be  fully  considered  at  a  meeting  of  the  council  to  be  held 
on  Tuesday,  January  28,  at  2  o’clock  p.m.  You  will  be  promptly  advised 
of  the  council’s  action,  which,  I  believe,  will  be  favorable. 


Answers  to  questions  in  circular  letter,  concerning  amount  of  coal  used, 
etc. : — 

To  question  1:  Tons  coal  delivered,  184,425;  price  per  ton,  $4.30  to 
$8.50;  freight  rate,  $3.25,  all  rail  from  mines  to  Lowell. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


57 


To  question  2:  The  saving  per  ton  was  expressed  as  from  35  cents  to 
SI,  which  could  be  saved  were  the  coal  received  by  water  rather  than  by 
rail. 

To  question  3:  This  question  was  answered  by  many  merchants,  and 
resulted  in  a  total  of  58,365  tons  of  freight  being  received  by  such  concerns 
annually.  This  total  must  not  be  taken  as  an  accurate  statement  of  the 
tonnage  of  inward  freight  (other  than  coal),  in  the  city  of  Lowell,  for  the 
reason  that  a  great  many  firms  in  answering  the  question  expressed  the 
value  of  the  freight  (exclusive  of  coal)  instead  of  expressing  the  tonnage. 
For  instance,  one  firm  pays  annually  $94,000  in  freight  charges,  another 
firm  pays  $24,000  and  then  other  concerns  report  that  their  freight  bills 
for  1911  were  $119,500.  Other  firms,  indicated  specific  property  such  as 
7,000,000  feet  of  lumber,  etc.,  which  is  received  by  them  annually. 

To  question  4 :  It  appeared  to  be  the  general  opinion,  as  expressed  by  the 
answers  received,  that  the  saving  to  the  business  concerns  in  the  city  of 
Lowell  would  be  from  50  per  cent,  if  freight  could  be  brought  by  water 
to  the  city. 

To  question  5:  The  answers  to  this  question  resulted  in  a  total  of 
11,320  tons.  The  majority  of  replies  were  very  general  and  the  amount 
of  tonnage  was  not  expressed.  The  firms  answering,  while  not  giving 
the  amount  of  tonnage  of  their  freight,  replied  with  such  answers  as, 
“ would  ship  all  of  it,”  “  could  ship  some  of  it,”  and  others  gave  specific 
commodities  which  might  be  shipped  by  water  if  a  water  route  were 
provided. 

To  question  6:  In  answer  to  questions  6  and  7,  it  appears  that  no  busi¬ 
ness  house  has  the  ownership  or  control  of  any  wharf  in  the  city.  Many 
firms  replied  that  there  wrere  enough  city  landings,  which,  if  improved  and 
developed,  would  provide  ample  facilities  for  the  proper  receipt  and 
despatch  of  passengers  and  freight  were  the  river  improved;  and  that  they 
(the  firms  answering)  would  undoubtedly  use  these  wharfs  in  conjunction 
with  others. 

To  question  7 :  Answered  under  question  6. 

To  question  8:  Opinion  placed  the  depth  at  from  10  to  25  feet. 

Extracts  from  statements  made  at  public  hearing  held  Dec. 
2,  1912,  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  and  from 
letters  received :  — 

Mayor  O’Donnell.  The  people  of  Lowell  naturally  want  better 
facilities  for  transportation,  particularly  for  freight  transportation  rather 
than  passenger,  although  here  in  Lowell  we  at  times  have  some  criticism 
of  the  railroads  for  the  passenger  service;  but  that  is  not  our  present  in¬ 
quiry.  But  our  freight  service  is  not  satisfactory  as  far  as  rates  are  con¬ 
cerned,  and  that  is  the  principal  reason  the  people  of  Lowell  are  interested 
in  the  deepening  of  the  Merrimac  River  to  make  it  navigable  from  New- 
buryport  to  Lowell.  .  .  . 


58 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


I  am  going  to  briefly  state  that  we  feel  that  if  the  river  is  widened  and 
deepened  so  that  boats  may  be  carried  up  to  Lowell,  —  if  they  are  carried 
up  at  such  a  cost  as  not  to  make  freight  charges  more  than  at  the  present 
time,  it  will  cause  competition,  and  with  competition,  we  feel  there  will 
be  a  lowering  of  traffic  freight  rates.  .  .  . 

The  Merrimac  River  turns  more  spindles  than  any  other  river  in  the 
world,  and  flows  through  the  greatest  textile  center  in  the  United  States. 
Lowell,  on  the  banks  of  the  Merrimac,  has  320  diversified  industries,  and 
1,000  factories  employing  over  33,000  wage  earners,  and  manufacturing 
over  350  commodities  representing  in  value  $60,000,000.  The  city  of 
Lowell  receives  through  the  port  of  Boston  annually  over  500,000  tons  of 
coal.  The  city  of  Lowell  handles  annually  2,000,000  tons  of  freight.  We 
often  hear  complaints  from  our  manufacturers  of  the  delay  of  shipments, 
while  freight  rates  are  a  continual  source  of  complaint.  While  referring 
to  the  delay  of  shipments,  I  will  quote  from  a  communication  sent  out  by 
the  National  River  and  Harbor’s  Congress  recently,  as  follows:  — • 

We  already  see  the  beginning  of  a  car  shortage  which  is  certain  to  become 
acute  and  may  be  disastrous.  Car  shortage  means  profit  shortage,  and  con¬ 
gestion  of  traffic  brings  demoralization  of  business  and  increased  costs  all  along 
the  line,  in  spite  of  the  huge  crops  and  abundant  natural  resources.  The  one 
sure  remedy  is  to  put  our  natural  waterways  into  condition  to  carry  their  full 
share  of  our  rapidly  expanding  commerce. 

With  the  value  of  Lowell’s  products  more  than  $60,000,000  one  may  see 
that  with  a  reduction  of  the  cost  of  transportation,  increased  compensation 
for  labor  will  follow.  Furthermore,  in  the  case  of  many  of  the  necessities 
of  life,  it  has  been  truthfully  said  that  the  cost  of  transportation  is  greater 
than  the  cost  of  production,  and  reduced  transportation  would  contribute 
toward  the  solution  of  the  present-day  problem  of  the  high  cost  of  living. 

The  deepening  of  the  Merrimac  would  open  up  new  territory  for  manu¬ 
facturing  purposes,  thereby  furnishing  employment  for  labor.  It  would 
enhance  real  estate  valuation  along  the  river  banks.  It  would  reduce  the 
cost  of  transportation  and  increase  the  efficiency  thereof,  and  thus  have  a 
tendency  to  reduce  the  cost  of  living.  It  would  bring  new  capital  to  the 
vicinity.  It  would  be  of  inestimable  value  to  every  city  and  town  from 
Lowell  to  the  sea,  and  it  can  be  brought  about  by  a  comparatively  moder¬ 
ate  expenditure  of  public  money.  .  .  . 

Mr.  Cummings.  Personally  I  am  in  favor  of  anything  you  could  do 
to  deepen  the  channel  of  this  river  and  give  the  people  the  best 
facilities  for  its  development,  and  I  join  with  the  mayor  in  welcoming 
you  to  the  city  and  assisting  you  in  any  way  I  can  to  carry  out  your 
investigations.  .  .  . 

Mr.  McIntyre.  I  have  taken  some  interest  in  this  thing  for  twenty- 
five  years,  and  it  has  always  seemed  to  me  it  was  feasible,  and  from  my 
talk  with  various  people  in  Lowell  I  believe  that  they  are  unanimously 
in  favor  of  it;  but  they  do  not  know  at  the  present  time  what  the  possi- 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


59 


bilities  are,  and  there  is  nothing  we  can  say  to  them  that  we  have  the  facts 
to  prove. 

I  sometimes  say  to  them  — -  and  it  is  repeating  what  others  have  told 
me,  of  course,  and  not  having  the  facts  to  prove  themselves  —  a  twenty- 
two-foot  deep  channel  to  Lowell  would  mean  that  Lowell  in  perhaps 
twenty  years  would  equal  some  of  the  large  manufacturing  seaports  of 
England  and  Scotland.  We  have  got  the  water,  and  it  would  vastly 
increase  this  whole  region,  but  I  cannot  prove  what  I  say;  the  only  thing 
we  can  wait  for  is  for  a  true  report  on  what  can  be  done  and  what  it  is 
going  to  cost.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  people  of  Lowell  and  the  other 
communities  around  here  will  be  unanimously  in  favor  of  it,  and  will  pay 
their  share  of  the  taxes,  being  willing  to  go  down  into  their  pockets  even 
though  they  haven’t  a  dollar’s  worth  of  freight.  It  will  not  only  settle 
the  question  of  keeping  freight  rates  within  bounds,  but  it  is  going  to  make 
freight  for  the  railroads  or  shipping  lines,  if  we  can  get  them  in  here  to  do 
it.  ... 

Mr.  McManinon.  There  is  no  question  in  my  mind  but  this  Merrimac 
River  should  be  deepened,  and  why  it  would  not  mean  twice  the  city  of 
Lowell  in  the  future.  There  is  from  Dracut  and  Tyngsborough  to  Lawrence 
a  part  of  the  river  really  isolated,  with  no  chance  for  mill  purposes  or 
anything. 

I  am  closely  related  to  the  agricultural  end,  and  we  people  in  the  Middle¬ 
sex  North  Agricultural  Society  have  discussed  this  thing  with  particular 
reference  to  the  advantage  it  would  be  to  get  produce  into  the  Boston 
market  to  meet  the  competition  of  the  State.  It  is  there  and  the  trans¬ 
portation  holds  it,  and  there  is  no  reason  the  stuff  should  have  to  be 
teamed  to  Boston.  Lowell  is  over-glutted  with  stuff,  and  the  progress 
of  agriculture  is  held  back.  .  .  . 

One  gentleman  made  a  statement  that  there  are  men  now  interested 
enough  to  have  boats  running,  who  want  to  send  them  up  to  Lowell  and 
take  the  products  of  the  country,  and  are  anxious  to  know  when  there  is 
a  possible  chance  to  have  them  do  that.  It  seems  to  me  the  products  of 
the  Merrimac  River  are  in  demand  in  the  southern  country,  and  it  seems 
that  with  the  great  amount  of  property  and  value  and  power  that  the 
people  of  this  territory  are  entitled  to  consideration;  it  ought  to  be  con¬ 
sidered  for  a  moment  in  its  opposition  to  such  a  project  —  when  they  can 
go  down  south  and  in  a  little  stream  get  a  million  dollar  appropriation  for 
it .... 

John  H.  Murphy.  Mr.  Chairman,  —  and  with  thanks  to  the  mayor, 
—  the  apathy  of  the  people  of  the  Merrimac  valley  as  regards  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Merrimac  River  is  of  such  a  nature  as  to  be  almost  unbeliev¬ 
able.  Save  for  the  spasmodic  public  hearings  and  the  newspaper  editorials 
little  is  heard  of  that  project  which  means  so  much  to  this  section  from  an 
industrial  and  commercial  standpoint.  The  advantages  to  cities  having 
both  rail  and  water  connections  are  so  many  that  to  exploit  them  would 
require  considerable  time.  Would  the  present  famine  and  unfair  prices 


CO 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


demanded  for  coal  exist  in  the  Merrimac  valley  if  it  were  possible  to  bring 
our  coal  by  water?  Is  it  not  a  fact  that  at  points  having  water  and  rail 
connections  the  railroads  equal  the  water  charges?  I  ask  you  to  take 
Boston  as  an  example,  or  other  ports,  and  I  ask  you  to  compare  distances 
and  rates,  and  see  how  the  people  of  Lowell  pay  dividends  to  the  railroads 
on  their  purchases  of  coal.  If  we  had  coal  coming  up  the  river,  how  soon 
an  excuse  would  have  to  be  made  to  take  the  place  of  the  “  car  shortages  ” 
that  we  hear  so  much  about. 

But  developed  waterways  are  no  longer  considered  obnoxious  by  the 
large  railroads;  they  have  become  necessary  in  order  to  handle  the  ever- 
increasing  freight,  and  if  this  community  is  to  advance  or  ever  hold  the 
pace  the  Merrimac  River  must  be  developed.  The  task  is  reported  by 
expert  engineers  as  feasible,  and  in  this  century  any  problem  can  be  over¬ 
come  by  engineering.  All  that  is  necessary  is  enthusiastic  work  to  secure 
an  appropriation  to  carry  it  along.  A  trip  to  the  central  and  western  parts 
of  the  country  will  convince  any  one  of  the  importance  and  the  feasibility 
of  developing  waterways.  It  is  not  stretching  the  point  when  we  say  that 
with  respect  to  some  rivers  the  engineers  go  back  to  Washington  and  say 
that  the  creeks  ought  to  be  paved,  rather  than  developed,  and  we  have  no 
means  for  transportation  and  yet  allow  it  to  go  by  default. 

Many  complaints  are  made  by  shippers  and  consignees  in  regard  to 
present  freight  service,  and  what  is  the  outlook  for  improvement?  On 
November  19,  the  regular  freight  due  to  arrive  from  Boston,  and  supposed 
to  be  ready  for  delivery  at  8  a.m.,  did  not  arrive  until  7.30  p.m.  This  is 
only  one  instance  of  poor  service,  but  there  are  so  many  other  cases  of 
such  a  nature  as  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  merchants  and  manu¬ 
facturers  that  freight  service  must  be  improved,  and  that  the  people  of  this 
valley  must  look  forward  to  the  time  when  they  will  utilize  the  natural 
facilities  of  transportation  by  means  of  the  development  of  the  Merrimac 
River. 

Our  river  banks  and  canals  are  provided  with  public  landings,  and  our 
canals  are  equipped  with  locks  capable  of  locking  boats  up  to  100  feet  long. 
These  facilities  were  provided  years  ago  by  the  founders  and  early  settlers 
of  Lowell,  who  must  have  had  an  idea  of  the  possibilities  of  the  Merrimac. 
Concerning  public  landings,  there  is  one  on  First  Street,  now  almost  built 
upon  at  the  junction  of  Perkins  Street,  available,  and  at  the  back  of  the 
police  station  we  have  a  public  landing.  Then  at  Thompson’s  Falls  we 
have  a  public  landing  where  it  is  equipped  with  railroad  siding. 

Mr.  Sutherland.  Would  it  be  easy  to  connect  those  landings  you  have 
mentioned  with  the  railroad? 

The  one  at  Thompson’s  Falls  is  already  connected.  The  one  at  First 
Street  was  doomed  to  be  connected  by  the  Grand  Trunk,  and  the  one  at 
Perkins  and  Pawtucket  streets  is  probably  not  reached  unless  there  is  a 
development  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  unless  by  a  bridge. 

Concerning  the  present  prospective  commerce,  the  business  of  Low'ell 
to-day  would  warrant  the  expenditure  of  the  estimated  cost,  and  it  is  a 
conservative  basis  of  figuring  to  imply  that  enough  money  would  be  saved 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


61 


on  reduced  freight  rates  to  repay  the  government  in  twenty  years  for  the 
expenditure. 

Lowell's  diversified  factories  manufacture  annually  over  $60,000,000 
worth  of  products  which  are  distributed  all  over  the  world.  There  is 
received  and  forwarded  over  2,000,000  tons  of  freight  and  10,000  tons  of 
express  matter  annually,  which  is  sufficient  to  warrant  Massachusetts  or 
the  United  States  government  in  making  an  appropriation  of  money 
sufficiently  large  to  make  the  Merrimac  River  navigable  to  the  sea. 

Speaking  of  what  one  dollar  will  do  in  freight  movements,  we  know  that 
one  dollar  will  transport  on  a  level  road  one  ton  for  a  distance  of  4  miles; 
we  know  that  on  an  improved  road  one  dollar  will  transport  a  ton  for  10 
miles;  and  that  on  a  waterway  one  dollar  will  transport  one  ton  1,250 
miles  —  from  figures  obtained. 

I  had  recently  the  privilege  and  honor  to  appear  before  Colonel  Abbot 
in  regard  to  this  matter,  and  I  will  file  with  your  clerk  a  copy  of  this  speech, 
parts  of  which  I  desire  to  read  at  this  time. 

The  Lowell  Board  of  Trade  is  represented  here  to-daj"  to  advocate  the 
canying  out  of  the  above  recommendation  and  to  present  facts  concerning 
the  possibilities  of  making  the  river  navigable  above  Haverhill. 

The  interest  of  the  people  of  the  Merrimac  valley  and  especially  in 
Lowell,  in  the  project  of  making  the  river  navigable  is  aroused  when  they 
realize  that  the  cities  of  the  Merrimac  valley  are  unable  to  compete  with 
other  manufacturing  communities  enjoying  water-transportation  facilities. 

The  importance  of  this  project  may  be  estimated  when  we  realize  that 
the  Merrimac  River  turns  more  spindles  than  any  other  river  in  the  world, 
and  that  the  Merrimac  River  flows  through  the  greatest  textile  center  in 
the  United  States. 

The  growing  importance  of  the  industries  of  the  Merrimac  valley  de¬ 
mand  study  and  attention,  and  the  cost  of  the  project  is  not  incommensu¬ 
rate  with  the  advantages  to  be  derived.  The  cost  of  the  project  should 
have  little  weight.  The  Ohio  River,  for  a  9,900  mile  9-foot  project,  re¬ 
ceived  this  year  a  partial  payment  of  $5,870,000  on  a  $63,000,000  estimated 
project.  New  England,  and  especially  Massachusetts,  has  receded  but  a 
small  share  of  the  total  appropriations  made  by  the  government  for  the 
improvement  of  waterways.  For  example,  Massachusetts,  with  a  wealth 
twice  as  great  as  that  of  Texas,  and  a  population  about  the  same,  received 
in  1910,  $745,000,  while  Texas  received  $3,542,000,  or  five  times  as  much. 
In  the  last  appropriation  of  1912  Massachusetts  received  $431,000  and  the 
State  made  an  appropriate  for  the  development  of  the  port  of  Boston 
of  $9,000,000,  while  Texas  this  year  received  from  the  government  $1,- 
680,800. 

“The  development  of  the  Trinity  River  in  Texas  contemplates  an 
ultimate  depth  of  6  feet  for  a  distance  of  511  miles  upon  which  there  is 
at  present  absolutely  no  commerce,  and  the  ultimate  cost  of  which  is 
estimated  at  $4,550,000.” 

The  development  of  the  Brazos  River  is  costing  $200,000  to  remove 
overhanging  trees  and  snags,  and  carries  on  no  commerce,  and  travels 


62 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


through  an  unimportant  agricultural  country.  The  development  of  these 
two  rivers  in  Texas  are  two  shining  examples  of  developing  future  com¬ 
merce  or  glittering  examples  of  representative,  active,  political  work. 

The  Merrimac  River  project  is  insignificant  in  comparison  with  such 
expensive  undertakings.  While  the  commercial  benefits  to  be  derived  from 
the  desired  improvements  are  held  to  be  entirely  prospective  and  specula¬ 
tive,  it  appears  from  reports  of  improvements  in  other  rivers  that  are  not 
so  large  as  the  Merrimac,  and  do  not  flowT  through  such  an  important 
industrial  section,  that  freight  rates  have  been  reduced,  shipping  conges¬ 
tion  has  been  relieved,  and  business  improved. 

The  establishment  of  competitive  rates  by  rail  and  water  result  in  a 
saving  to  the  manufacturer,  and  in  this  particular  section  competition  with 
a  single  railroad  is  sure  to  bring  about  reduction  of  rates  and  more  efficient 
service. 

The  development  of  the  intercostal  canal  from  Boston  to  New  Orleans, 
as  advocated  by  the  Atlantic  Deeper  Waterways  Association,  is  the  trade 
avenue  through  which  Lowell  can  have  its  supply  of  cotton  shipped  from 
the  cotton  belt  to  the  mills  of  the  city  by  means  of  the  Merrimac  River, 
as  well  as  to  receive  other  raw  materials  in  large  quantities  from  the  south 
and  west.  Should  such  a  wraterway  to  the  cotton  fields  of  the  south  be 
opened  for  business,  as  it  probably  will  be  eventually,  the  city  of  Lowell 
would  be  wholly  unable  to  compete  with  textile  cities  on  the  coast  unless 
the  Merrimac  River  is  made  navigable  to  the  sea,  for  the  reason  that  cities 
having  the  advantages  of  water  transportation  can  get  their  raw  materials 
at  low  freight  rates  from  the  cotton  fields  of  the  south. 

The  completion  of  the  Panama  Canal  will  bring  to  our  ports  the  cheaper 
grade  of  manufactured  commodities  from  the  Orient,  and  if  the  New 
England  manufacturer  is  to  compete  with  the  low  cost  of  production  with 
the  Japanese,  in  comparison  with  the  American-made  goods,  the  great 
textile  centers  of  New  England  may  lose  their  supremacy. 

The  value  of  the  river  made  navigable  from  Lowell  cannot  be  estimated 
from  the  volume  of  business  done  on  a  9-foot  channel  from  Haverhill  to 
the  sea. 

Lowell  with  its  320  diversified  industries  and  its  1,000  factories  employ¬ 
ing  over  33,000  wage  earners,  manufacturing  over  350  commodities  repre¬ 
senting  in  value  over  $60,000,000,  must  be  given  the  attention  by  the 
United  States  government  that  it  is  entitled  to,  and  the  position  that 
Lowell  occupies  in  the  State  and  country  can  only  be  maintained  by  re¬ 
ceiving  appropriations  which  will  adequately  develop  and  help  to  properly 
utilize  her  natural  resources. 

There  is  received  at  Boston  by  water,  exclusive  of  coal,  over  18,000  tons, 
and  there  is  shipped  from  Lowell  through  the  port  of  Boston  annually 
over  7,600  tons,  and  there  is  received  for  Lowell  through  the  port  of  Boston 
over  500,000  tons  of  coal  a  year.  Lowell  ships  to  New  York  via  Long 
Island  Sound  24,000  tons,  and  receives  from  the  port  of  New  York  about 
23,000  tons. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


63 


The  records  obtainable  from  the  railroad  officials  indicate  that  about 
2,000,000  tons  of  freight  are  handled  annually,  both  in  and  out  of  the  city 
of  Lowell.  That  can  be  taken  as  coming  from  railroad  officials. 

If  you  can  assume  that  one-half  of  the  2,000,000  tons  of  freight  will  be 
transported  by  water  at  a  saving  in  charges  of  10  cents  per  ton,  you  can 
figure  a  saving  of  $100,000  a  year;  and  figuring  on  an  estimated  cost  for 
making  the  river  navigable  of  $2,000,000,  it  would  require  about  twenty 
years  to  save  enough  in  transportation  charges  to  warrant  this  expenditure. 

Manufacturers  often  complain  of  the  delay  of  shipments,  and  freight 
rates  are  a  source  of  continual  trouble.  Many  manufacturers  have  ex¬ 
pressed  themselves  as  being  in  favor  of  securing  water  transportation,  and 
would  utilize  the  river  for  receiving  raw  materials  and  shipping  finished 
products.  The  value  of  Lowell  products  equalling  more  than  $60,000,000 
furnished  a  basis  upon  which  to  figure  that  if  the  transportation  charges 
were  reduced  because  of  the  use  of  the  river  it  is  quite  easy  to  expect  in¬ 
creased  compensation  for  labor. 

If  New  England  is  to  maintain  her  supremacy  as  an  industrial  center, 
which  she  is  able  to-day  to  hold  by  reason  of  her  unlimited  supply  of  labor, 
capital  and  intellect,  the  avenues  for  reaching  the  crude  or  raw  materials 
must  find  a  way  to  the  manufacturing  community  besides  the  railroad, 
and  the  development  of  the  canals  and  rivers  hold  the  key  to  the  situation. 

The  Board  of  Trade  of  Lowell  agrees  that  the  improvement  of  the 
Merrimac  River  will  develop  new  territory,  will  enhance  the  value  of  land 
and  real  estate,  will  reduce  the  cost  and  increase  the  efficiency  of  trans¬ 
portation,  and  will  have  a  tendency  to  decrease  the  cost  of  living  and  open 
new  fields  for  the  employment  of  capital  and  labor. 

There  is  no  question  but  what  the  cotton  used  in  the  mills  of  Lowell, 
which  provide  employment  for  27,000  people,  could  be  brought  in  barges 
up  the  Merrimac  River,  and  in  four  particular  cases  unloaded  at  the  doors 
of  the  mills.  These  mills  have  intimated  that  they  would  be  very  glad, 
of  course,  to  reduce  the  transportation  charges. 

Mr.  Cummings.  You  mean  through  the  canal? 

Mr.  Murphy.  Come  up  in  a  low  barge,  up  under  the  bridge. 

The  Locks  and  Canals  Company  have  spent  thousands  of  dollars  picking 
away  at  the  ledge  at  Hunts  Falls ;  they  have  made  a  basin  there  which 
is  a  part  of  the  water  pond  for  the  city  of  Lawrence.  There  are  places  in 
the  Merrimac  River  that  are  15  feet  to-day,  made  by  the  Locks  and  Canals 
Company  to  store  water.  I  don’t  know  the  attitude  of  the  management 
of  that  company.  I  wrote  them  to  furnish  Colonel  Abbot  information, 
maps  and  blue  prints  of  the  Merrimac  River,  and  I  received  a  reply  that 
Mr.  Mills  would  be  glad  to  show  Mr.  Abbot  or  this  commission  any  maps 
he  had  at  his  office;  and  in  talking  with  Mr.  Badger  he  informed  me  that 
if  possible  this  commission  might  come  there  and  inspect  maps  of  the 
bottom  of  the  river. 

Mr.  Cummings.  They  might  inspect  the  river  from  Pawtucket  Falls 
down? 


64 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Mr.  Murphy.  I  don’t  think  any  engineer  who  has  made  a  report  has 
ever  stepped  into  the  water;  I  think  it  has  simply  been  to  entertain  these 
men  and  rave  about  the  beauties  of  the  stream,  the  historic  importance  of 
it,  and  have  the  engineer  go  back  to  Washington  and  say  it  is  a  good  river, 
but  that  he  could  not  get  the  people  interested. 

This  thing  has  been  a  burning  question  for  years,  and  as  was  remarked 
at  the  last  hearing  we  had  in  endeavoring  to  work  up  enthusiasm,  that  it 
would  continue  to  be  the  question  for  fifty  years.  To  my  mind  that  is 
not  true,  and  what  we  want  to  do  is  simply  to  get  behind  our  congressman 
for  this  district  and  have  him  stand  up  in  Washington  and  fight. 

Mr.  Cummings.  It  is  twenty-five  years  since  the  Board  of  Trade 
began  the  agitation. 

Mr.  Murphy.  In  fact,  the  influential  men  of  the  city  have  said  it  is 
practically  a  useless  job.  But  when  you  go  to  New  York  and  ride  from 
Buffalo  to  Philadelphia,  and  observe  that  canal  and  see  the  amount  of 
traffic  that  is  going  on  there,  even  to-day,  with  old  barges  being  pulled  by 
mules;  and  they  have  plenty  of  railroads  down  there,  —  they  are  not  in 
the  grasp  of  one  road,  and  yet  they  tolerate  them. 

W e  may  be  hitting  all  over  the  question  and  not  getting  down  to  facts, 
but  if  there  is  anything  the  commission  desires  to  know  I  am  willing  to  put 
my  time  digging  up  any  special  point  they  are  interested  in. 

Mr.  Sutherland.  May  I  ask  what  is  the  depth  of  the  water  above 
the  dam  here? 

Mr.  Murphy.  That  varies;  there  has  never  been  a  survey  above  the 
dam. 

Mr.  Barrett.  Seven  feet;  I  think  they  have  run  a  steamer  that  draws 
6  feet. 

Mr.  Sutherland.  How  far  does  that  extend? 

Mr.  Barrett.  To  Nashua. 

Q.  What  is  the  character  of  the  bottom,  do  you  know? 

Mr.  Barrett.  Mostly  hardpan  and  some  places  rock. 

Mayor  O’Donnell.  I  want  to  say  that  Commissioner  Cummings 
refers  to  the  fact  that  the  Board  of  Trade  has  been  agitating  this  twenty- 
five  years  without  apparent  success.  It  seems  to  me  it  has  been  com¬ 
paratively  successful;  this  is  the  first  commission  we  have  had  to  look 
into  the  subject,  so  there  has  been  some  success. 

Mr.  Barrett.  I  am  much  interested  in  it,  and  I  think  every  man  in 
Lowell  should  be  interested.  We  have  the  first  canal  used  in  the  United 
States  for  transportation  purposes,  a  canal  made  to  connect  Concord  and 
the  Merrimac  River,  which  was  dug  in  1792,  and  on  that  canal  were  a 
number  of  free  landings,  two  or  three  of  them  have  been  stolen  from  the 
city  of  Lowell,  one  of  them,  by  the  corporation  referred  to  here  very  exten¬ 
sively  this  morning,  and  many  here  will  remember  about  the  abolition  of 
free  landings  on  Western  Avenue. 

As  far  as  the  navigation  of  the  Merrimac  River  is  concerned,  to  any  man 
who  has  traveled  over  this  country  and  seen  the  other  rivers  and  streams 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


65 


made  navigable,  there  is  no  question  about  the  feasibility  of  making  the 
Merrimac  River  navigable.  There  is  no  question  about  the  desirability 
of  the  city  of  Lowell  having  navigation  or  water  communication  when 
you  consider  the  fact  that  it  costs  80  per  cent,  of  the  cost  of  bringing  coal 
to  Lowell  from  Newport  News  or  Norfolk,  Va.;  80  per  cent,  of  the  cost  of 
bringing  coal  from  there  is  added  on  it  again  from  Boston  to  Lowell.  In 
other  words,  we  can  bring  it  for  $1  aton  in  bottoms  from  Norfolk  to  Boston, 
and  I  have  had  thousands  of  tons  come  to  Boston  for  90  cents,  but  it  will 
average  about  SI;  it  depends  a  good  deal  upon  the  condition  of  shipping 
at  the  time;  sometimes  bottoms  can  be  leased  at  a  less  price.  And  it  is 
85  cents  from  Boston  to  Lowell,  and  I  think  that  the  cost  of  bringing  coal 
from  Boston  to  Lowell  is  the  highest  in  the  United  States;  I  don’t  think 
there  is  a  place  in  the  United  States,  and  I  have  endeavored  to  find  out, 
and  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  discover  any  place  in  the  United  States 
where  the  cost  of  transporting  coal  is  as  high  as  from  Boston  to  Lowell, — 
over  4  cents  a  ton  per  mile,  which  is  almost  prohibitory,  even  when  the  cost 
in  this  country  is  only  a  cent  a  mile  where  they  have  long  hauls.  This  is  a 
comparatively  short  haul,  and  on  a  road  that  not  only  has  a  tremendous 
freight-carrying  trade  but  has  also  a  large  suburban  passenger  travel, 
which  also  enables  the  road  to  pay  dividends.  I  think  the  suburban  traffic 
of  the  Boston  &  Maine  is  as  large  as  any  road  in  the  United  States  in  their 
passenger  traffic. 

Now  the  river  between  Lowell  and  Lawrence  presents  no  feature  that 
would  confuse  or  hold  up  engineers  from  enabling  it  to  be  a  stream  suitable 
for  from  6  to  8  feet  draft.  The  canals  here  at  Lowell  at  the  present  time, 
I  understand  their  charter  now  compels  them,  if  you  come  up  the  Merrimac 
River  in  a  boat,  instead  of  opening  the  canals  at  the  locks  they  will  take 
your  boat  and  put  it  in  a  wagon.  All  the  landings  are  feasible  for  railroad 
connections;  the  landing  on  Perkins  Street,  —  an  extension  of  less  than 
half  a  mile  of  railroad  tracks  would  reach  that  Perkins  Street  free  landing 
—  yes,  it  is  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Their  locomotives  go  to  this 
landing,  and  the  landing  on  Broadway  is  already  connected. 

The  only  thing  in  this  matter,  and  the  only  fight  in  this  matter,  is  the 
fight  of  the  people  who  do  not  want  water  connections.  It  is  not  a  question 
of  engineering;  I  don’t  think  any  engineer  of  standing  in  the  United  States 
would  go  on  record  by  saying  that  there  was  any  difficulty  for  a  6  or  8  foot 
draft  from  Newburyport  to  Lowell.  But  the  question  is  and  always  has 
been,  an  organized  opposition  in  a  very  small  body  can  always  beat  a  large 
disorganized  movement,  and  that  has  been  the  trouble,  I  believe,  in  Lowell. 
The  question  of  water  rates  and  railroad  rates  cannot  be  discussed  by  any 
intelligent  men;  the  history  of  the  entire  country  shows  that  water  has 
developed  the  country;  it  shows  the  entire  west  was  developed  on  the  lines 
of  the  streams,  the  Ohio  River,  the  Mississippi  River,  and  all  the  different 
streams  flowing  west  of  it,  —  the  line  of  colonization  follows  the  streams 
showing  the  natural  tendency  of  men  so  to  follow  the  rivers;  and  men 
living  to-day  will  remember  when  water  transportation  was  almost  the 


66 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


sole  method  of  transporting  freight  and  material,  so  it  is  not  a  new  question. 
The  history  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  Buffalo  to-day,  taking  the  flour  in¬ 
dustry  from  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul,  proves  the  advantage  of  water 
rates.  Buffalo  is  to-day,  or  in  a  short  time  will  be,  the  largest  flour  city  in 
the  United  States,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  can  transport  wheat  by  water, 
and  instead  of  grinding  it  in  Minneapolis  they  are  grinding  it  in  Buffalo. 
And  so  all  over  the  country  the  water-freight  and  water-transportation 
question  is  the  great  question.  I  have  not  the  figures,  but  I  question 
whether  there  is  any  place  in  the  United  States  within  a  distance  of  25 
or  30  miles  that  contains  the  number  of  manufacturing  plants  and  the 
number  of  freight-using  communities  that  the  Merrimac  valley  has. 
Within  a  very  short  distance  you  have  a  string  of  large  manufacturing 
communities  that  this  river  would  immensely  benefit,  not  alone  in  the 
fact  that  they  would  get  their  freight  by  that  river,  but  in  the  fact  that  it 
would  give  us  competition  with  the  railroads  that  now  have  these  great 
manufacturing  communities  by  the  throat.  Only  two  or  three  weeks 
ago  I  wanted  to  bring  a  piece  of  freight  from  Springfield  and  it  took  sixteen 
days.  I  could  send  over  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  do  it  quicker,  and  the  only 
satisfaction  I  got  was  the  statement  by  the  railroad  that  they  were  doing 
the  best  they  could.  But  they  have  the  railroads  loaded  down  so  heavily 
with  stocks  and  bonds  they  cannot  issue  much  more  against  them.  They 
have  got  to  keep  the  tariff  up  as  high  as  they  can;  and  if  jmu  were  to 
squeeze  the  water  in  these  railroads  out  you  would  have  water  enough  in 
the  Merrimac  River  to  float  a  battleship.  The  manufacturing  communi¬ 
ties  of  Lowell  and  vicinity  are  suffering,-  and  if  the  Locks  and  Canals  Com¬ 
pany  are  left  alone,  in  a  few  years  more  they  will  have  it  going  through 
a  sewer  pipe  down  below  the  bridge.  If  any  intelligent  body  of  men  will 
study  the  river,  starting  at  the  State  boundary  line,  they  will  find  enough 
water  in  the  river,  and  no  engineering  problem  they  cannot  solve;  it  is 
simply  a  question  of  whether  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railroad  is  stronger  than  the  people  of  the  Merrimac  valley;  that  is  all 
the  question  involved  in  this  issue. 

Mr.  Cummings.  There  is  no  question  but  that  the  people  of  Lowell  will 
almost  unanimously  instruct  their  present  congressman  to  do  whatever 
is  necessary  to  help  you  deepen  the  channel  of  this  river,  and  I  am  one  to 
have  that  put  before  the  people  by  vote  of  this  municipal  council,  to  show 
that  the  people  of  Lowell  want  that  project  if  they  can  get  it  or  something 
like  it. 

Mr.  Barrett.  A  6-foot  barge  waterway  from  Newburyport  to  Lowell 
would  be  worth  to  the  city  of  Lowell,  conservatively,  $50,000  a  year;  it 
would  be  worth  that  much  to  the  city  of  Lowell  not  only  in  freight  coming 
here,  but  in  the  better  service  and  lower  freight  rates,  and  better  conditions 
that  would  immediately  apply  to  the  railroads,  if  that  were  here. 

Now,  that  is  5  per  cent,  on  $1,000,000.  How  much  it  would  be  worth 
to  Lawrence  I  don’t  know;  but  when  you  consider  the  fact  that  for  twentj'- 
five  years  they  have  been  appropriating  in  Washington  hundreds  of  millions 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


67 


of  dollars  for  the  improvement  of  minor  streams  and  water  works  through¬ 
out  this  country,  —  places  where  Mr.  Murphy  says  they  are  streams  four 
months  in  the  year  and  the  rest  of  the  time  a  ditch,  —  it  seems  to  me  there 
ought  to  be  influence  enough  in  Massachusetts,  with  its  4,000,000  popula¬ 
tion,  to  secure  a  reasonable  appropriation  for  the  starting  of  this  work, 
and  a  reasonable  appropriation  might  mean  $1,000,000  or  $2,000,000. 
They  are  now  considering  the  opening  of  the  Connecticut  River  to  Spring- 
field.  .  .  . 

The  river  is  now  navigable  as  far  as  Hartford  for  certain  kinds  of  ship¬ 
ping.  Now,  if  this  commission,  appointed  by  Governor  Foss,  will  look 
into  this  matter  and  give  it  very  careful  attention,  as  I  believe  you  are 
doing  and  will  do,  and  if  the  United  States  government  does  not  take  hold 
of  it,  let  the  State  of  Massachusetts  make  a  start;  and  if  the  start  is  once 
made  it  seems  to  me  that  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  would  be  overcome  in 
beginning  something.  We  have  had  men  here  for  twenty-five  years,  ever 
since  I  was  a  boy,  —  why,  General  Butler  is  on  record  in  some  of  his  papers 
on  some  matter  at  Washington  in  relation  to  the  navigability  of  the  Merri- 
mac  River,  and  it  might  be  well  to  get  General  Butler’s  statements  on 
this  matter  at  the  time  he  was  congressman  at  Washington.  He  had  gone 
into  the  matter  very  carefully  and  got  engineers  at  the  time,  and  he  had 
figures  bearing  on  the  cost  of  the  work  at  that  time ;  he  would  be  also  an 
authority  on  the  free  landing  proposition  in  the  city  of  Lowell.  When  the 
city  of  Lowell  took  the  water  from  the  Merrimac  River  for  water  purposes 
in  Lowell,  General  Butler  was  counsel  for  the  city  of  Lowell  at  that  time, 
and  at  that  time,  if  I  remember  rightly,  from  my  reading  of  the  matter, 
he  at  that  time  spoke  of  the  immense  value  of  the  free  landings  in  the  city 
of  Lowell,  and  that  they  should  never  be  surrendered  to  ai^body,  but  be 
kept  open  and  belong  to  the  citizens  of  Lowell.  He  went  into  this  matter 
ver}r  extensively,  and  I  have  not  any  doubt  his  data  and  matter  would  be 
of  value  to  the  commission,  because  he  made  a  study  of  it  at  that  time; 
and  if  we  had  a  man  like  General  Butler  here  now  I  do  not  think  there 
would  be  much  trouble  in  getting  an  appropriation  for  making  the  river 
navigable.  We  elect  congressmen  and  senators  and  expect  them  to  use 
their  efforts  to  benefit  all  the  people  of  Lowell  instead  of  electing  post¬ 
masters,  etc.  .  .  . 

Mr.  Martin.  .  .  .  The  Merrimac  River  from  Lowell  to  the  sea  should 
have  a  channel,  in  my  opinion;  not  a  6-foot  channel,  Mr.  Barrett,  but  a 
14-foot  channel,  or  perhaps  even  greater,  if  the  engineers  deem  it  feasible, 
and  I  suspect  they  may.  A  channel  sufficient  to  bring  ocean  bottoms 
from  Newburyport  to  Lowell  would  rebound  immensely  to  the  growth 
of  this  section,  and  would  take  care,  to  a  very  large  extent,  of  the  surplus 
business  which  the  growth  of  this  section  in  the  next  fifty  j^ears  is  going 
to  produce. 

Mr.  McIntyre.  I  would  like  to  make  just  one  statement.  I  am  per¬ 
haps  better  acquainted  with  the  river  between  Lowell  and  Nashua  than 
any  part,  and  I  will  stake  my  reputation  on  the  fact  that  there  is  already 


GS 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


enough  water  in  the  Merrimac  between  Lowell  and  Nashua  to  take 
care  of  the  biggest  Mississippi  steamer  on  the  Mississippi  River  to-day, 
without  any  deepening  of  the  channel,  —  simply  blow  a  hole  in  the  old 
dam  at  Tyngs  Island. 

Mr.  Barrett.  Just  one  word  about  the  depth  of  the  channel.  I  think 
that  the  first  question  of  all  is  to  get  the  river  open,  whether  it  is  20  feet, 
whether  it  is  8  feet  or  21  feet,  —  get  it  open  from  Newburyport  to  Lowell. 
The  development  of  the  trade  when  it  is  opened  will  show  and  will  produce 
a  demand  for  the  deeper  channel  if  necessary,  but  get  it  open  first. 

A  letter  from  the  Lowell  Board  of  Trade,  presented  at  the  hearing  of 
Oct.  4,  1912,  before  Colonel  Abbot,  states:  — 

The  interest  of  the  people  of  the  Merrimac  valley  and  especially  Lowell, 
in  the  project  of  making  the  river  navigable  is  aroused  when  they  realize  that 
the  cities  of  the  Merrimac  valley  are  unable  to  compete  with  other  manu¬ 
facturing  communities  enjoying  water-transportation  facilities.  .  .  .  The 
Merrimac  River  turns  more  spindles  than  any  other  river  in  the  world.  .  .  . 
The  Merrimac  River  flows  through  the  greatest  textile  center  of  the  United 
States.  The  Board  of  Trade  of  Lowell  agree  that  the  improvement  of  the 
Merrimac  River  will  develop  new  territory,  will  enhance  the  value  of  land  and 
real  estate,  will  reduce  the  cost  and  increase  the  efficiency  of  transportation, 
and  will  have  a  tendency  to  decrease  the  cost  of  living  and  open  new  fields  for 
the  emplo}',ment  of  capital  and  labor. 

Salisbury. 

Population, . 

River  frontage  (miles), . 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  . 

Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves :  — 

Salisbury  would  not  probably  care  to  go  to  the  expense  of  building  a  public 


wharf. 

Amesbury. 

Population, .  9,894 

River  frontage  (miles), .  4.5 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $6,566,676 

Number  of  establishments, .  45 


Automobiles,  including  bodies  and  parts. 

Bread  and  other  baking  products. 

Carriages  and  wagons  and  materials. 

Other  industries. 

Capital  invested, . $3,008,226 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . $2,199,320 

Amount  of  wages, . $1,239,598 

Wage  earners  employed, .  2,007 

Value  of  product, . $4,542,008 


1,658 

6.1 

$1,429,640 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


69 


If  harves,  Docks,  Landings  and  Terminal  Facilities.  —  At  Ames- 
bury  Ferry  there  are  two  coal  wharves  with  steam  equipment, 
handling  together  4,000  to  5,000  tons  of  coal  per  year,  from 
barges  drawing  not  over  15  feet.  At  Amesbury,  a  short  dis¬ 
tance  up  the  Powow  River,  which  here  enters  the  Merrimac 
from  the  north,  is  a  coal  yard  and  wharf  with  steam  appliances, 
handling  per  year  about  15,000  tons  of  coal  from  barges  of  the 
class  running  between  Newburyport  and  Haverhill. 


Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves: — - 

We  feel  as  if  we  had  no  jurisdiction  in  regard  to  this  matter,  but  would  be 
willing  to  have  an  article  inserted  in  the  town  warrant  of  March  next,  to  see 
what  action  the  town  would  take  in  the  above  matter. 

Answers  to  questions  in  circular  letter,  concerning  amount  of  coal 
used,  etc.:  — 

To  question  1:  Tons  coal  delivered,  6,930;  price  per  ton,  $8.60  to  $9.20; 
freight  rate,  $3.05  all  rail  from  mines  to  Amesbury. 

To  question  2:  No  information  obtainable. 

To  question  3:  That  upwards  of  200  tons  of  freight  were  received  in 
the  town. 

To  question  4:  No  information  obtainable. 

To  question  5:  No  information  obtainable. 

To  question  6:  At  least  three  firms  now  own  and  occupy  wharves. 

To  question  7 :  Answered  under  question  6. 

To  question  8:  The  opinion  expressed  is  that  it  should  be  20  feet. 


Extracts  from  statements  made  at  public  hearing  held  Nov. 
25,  1912,  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  and  from 
letters  received :  — 

R.  W.  Briggs.  We  Use  the  river  practically  for  coal.  We  have  had 
times  we  used  it  for  other  kinds  of  freight.  A  number  of  years  ago  we  made 
successful  use  of  it  for  shipping  carriages,  but  owing  to  the  trouble  with 
the  freight  at  that  time  it  had  to  be  abandoned.  At  present  we  are  re¬ 
ceiving  25,000  tons  of  coal  a  year. 

Q.  Does  that  all  come  by  water?  A.  I  should  think  two-thirds  of  it 
came  by  water. 

Q.  And  does  now?  A.  Yes.  The  coal  men  tell  me  there  is  a  saving  of 
$1  a  ton  in  the  freight  by  water  over  rail. 

Q.  What  is  the  principal  industry  in  this  place?  A.  I  should  think  at 
present  automobile  bodies. 

Q.  Those  are  shipped  all  over  the  country?  A.  Yes. 

Q.  Where  do  you  get  the  raw  material,  right  here  or  is  that  shipped 


70 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


here?  A.  I  should  sa,y  along  tidewater  we  would  get  the  coal,  and  Penn¬ 
sylvania  and  Canada  and  Ohio  for  lumber. 

Q.  Would  it  be  possible  to  have  it  come  by  water  if  the  river  was 
deepened  and  widened?  A.  I  always  understood  that  it  would. 

Q.  When  you  ship  your  bodies  away  I  suppose  you  ship  them  all  over 
the  country?  A.  Yes. 

Q.  And  they  go  by  rail?  A.  Yes,  sir;  I  don’t  know  how  to  express 
our  interest  in  having  a  locking  canal  or  deep  waterway  channel  without 
a  canal,  unless  we  knew  something  about  it. 

Q.  How  large  are  the  craft  you  use  now  to  bring  this  coal  up ;  how  much 
do  they  draw?  A.  I  think  at  high  water  they  can  draw  6  feet. 

I  would  offer  a  suggestion  for  your  consideration,  that  if  there  was  to  be 
a  lock  used  instead  of  a  deep  waterway,  if  it  was  placed  below  the  outlet 
of  Powow  River  it  would  give  us  deep  water  all  the  time  in  the  Powow 
River,  and  by  locking  that  down  to  what  I  would  call  Deer  Island,  or  the 
hat  shop,  that  is  a  half  mile  below,  that  would  give  us  high  water  in  the 
Powow  River.  That  would  make  it  a  navigable  stream  if  you  get  the  high 
water  at  all  times. 

Our  shoe  plants  have  used  about  4,000  tons  of  coal,  and  I  can’t  tell 
you  what  the  wool  consumption  would  be,  but  there  is  a  large  wool  con¬ 
sumption.  In  addition  to  that  we  have  modified  industries  connected 
with  the  automobile  business,  and  at  present  we  are  doing  quite  a  little 
shoe  business  in  the  town.  There  is  a  possibility,  the  shoe  men  tell  me, 
of  utilizing  the  river  here  under  the  proper  conditions  in  connection  with 
the  shoe  industr}7,  to  get  the  manufactured  product  right  to  the  wharf 
in  Boston,  where  they  are  shipped  from,  and  that  would  be  quite  an  assist¬ 
ance  to  us  in  water  freights  over  railroad  freights. 

The  town  owns  a  small  piece  of  land,  I  don’t  think  it  is  over  200  feet, 
on  the  Powow  River.  We  own  perhaps  600  feet,  but  the  land  bordering 
on  the  Powow  River  is  assessed  very  low. 

I  think  we  have  nearly  3  miles  of  land  bordering  on  the  river,  along  the 
open  river,  along  the  Merrimac  River,  and  I  don’t  think  the  price  of  land 
along  there  would  be  prohibitive,  that  it  could  not  be  used  for  that  purpose, 
if  conditions  warranted  it,  although  no  doubt  it  would  be  worth  more  than 
it  is  now. 


Newbury. 

Population,  .  .  - . 

River  frontage  (miles), . 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  . 

West  Newbury. 

Population,  . . 

River  frontage  (miles), . 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  . 


1,482 

8 

81,510,218 


1,473 


6.5 


81,091,988 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


71 


Mei  'rimac. 

Population, .  2,202 

River  frontage  (miles), .  2.4 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $1,284,443 

Number  of  establishments, .  7 

Capital  invested, . $581,089 

Value  of  stock  and  material  used, . $281,091 

Amount  of  wages  paid  during  year,  . $187,660 

Wage  earners  employed,  . .  280 

Value  of  product, . $643,956 


Wharves,  Landings,  Docks  and  Terminal  Facilities.  —  At 
Merrimacport,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Merrimac  River,  a 
short  distance  above  Amesbury  Ferry,  is  a  coal  wharf  with  steam 
equipment  handling  perhaps  4,000  tons  of  coal  a  year  from  the 
river  barges. 

Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves :  — 

The  town  is  now  having  its  landing  defined  by  the  county  commissioners. 
We  have  three,  two  of  which  we  have  already  located  and  surveyed,  —  so  that 
we  are  able  to  offer  for  the  public  use  two  good  landing  places  on  the  Merrimac 
River  in  Merrimac. 

Groveland. 

Population, .  2,253 

River  frontage  (miles),  .  .  :  .  .  .  .  ■  .  2.2 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $1,230,818 

Wharves,  Landings,  Docks  and  Terminal  Facilities.  —  On  the 
south  bank,  2  miles  from  Haverhill,  at  Groveland,  is  a  coal 
wharf  with  steam  equipment  handling  between  2,000  and  3,000 
tons  of  coal  per  year.  All  of  these  are  private  wharves,  with¬ 
out  ^nv  rail  connections,  but  with  good  highways  for  access, 
and  are  not  open  to  all  water  carriers  on  equal  terms,  except  to 
the  extent  necessarily  involved  in  the  actual  condition  that  all 
the  barge  traffic  is  now  conducted  on  the  river  by  a  single  tow¬ 
ing  company,  which  supplies  the  barges  themselves  as  well  as 
the  towboats  that  pull  them. 

Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves :  — 

That  undoubtedly  the  town  will  do  all  that  is  possible  to  help  the  good  work 
that  you  have  Commenced. 


72  MERRIMAC  RIVER.  [Jan. 

North  Andover. 

Population, .  5,529 

River  frontage  (miles), .  2.7 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $5,572,491 

Number  of  establishments, .  7 

Capital  invested, . $1,864,100 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . $1,954,167 

Amount  of  wages  paid, . $747,305 

Wage  earners  employed, .  1,310 

Value  of  product,  . . $3,305,698 

Methuen. 

Population, .  11,448 

River  frontage  (miles), .  11.5' 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $8,401,695 

Number  of  establishments, .  17 

Capital  invested, . $3,392,704 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . $2,347,092 

Amount  of  wages  paid  during  the  year, . $639,063 

Wage  earners  employed, .  1,370 

Value  of  product, . $3,658,877 

Answer  to  circular  letter  concerning  public  wharves:  — 

The  matter  would  have  to  be  brought  before  the  voters  at  town  meeting. 

Andover. 

Population, .  7,301 

River  frontage  (miles), .  5.6 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $8,086,475 

Number  of  establishments, .  9 

Capital  invested, . $3,193,335 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . $2,174,339 

Amount  of  wages  paid  during  year, . $667,594 

Wage  earners  employed, .  1,423 

Value  of  product, . $3,632,134 

Dracut. 

Population, .  3,461 

River  frontage  (miles), .  3.1 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $2,520,021 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


73 


Tewksbury. 

Population, .  3,750 

River  frontage  (miles),  .  1 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $1,614,575 


Chelmsford. 

Population, . .  .  5,010 

River  frontage  (miles), .  2.4 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $4,464,670 

Number  of  establishments, . 11 

Capital  invested, . $4,806,873 

Value  of  stock  and  materials  used, . $2,522,197 

Amount  of  wages, . $555,358 

Wage  earners  employed, .  1,214 

Value  of  product, . $3,353,454 

Tyngsborough. 

Population, .  829 

River  frontage  (miles), .  10.1 

Total  valuation  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913,  .  .  .  $674,904 


From  material  collected  by  Colonel  Abbot,  the  quotations 
that  follow  are  made. 

Under  date  of  Sept.  19,  1912,  Mr.  J.  O.  Ellison  of  Haverhill 
writes :  — 

I  have  been  managing  a  steamer  170  feet  long,  32  feet  wide,  on  a  draft 
of  10|  feet,  and  have  been  coming  to  Haverhill  for  three  years  with  very 
little  trouble.  .  .  . 

I  have  had  exceptional  interest  shown  by  the  business  men  of  Haverhill 
and  all  other  places  of  any  importance  along  the  Merrimac  River,  and 
also  including  Gloucester,  Lynn,  Salem  and  Beverly,  along  the  line  of 
putting  on  boats  for  general  freight  to  New  York. 

Lmder  date  of  Sept.  7,  1912,  Mr.  Fred  L.  Atkinson  of 
Newbury  port  writes :  — 

I  am  actively  engaged  now,  and  have  been  since  1884,  in  the  whole¬ 
sale  coal  business.  .  .  . 

In  about  1886  I  saw  moved  22,000  tons  of  coal  in  one  season,  from  New- 
buryport  to  Lawrence  and  Lowell  by  lighter  over  Mitchells  Falls  by  the 
Pentucket  Navigation  Company  (so  called,  Hon.  Benj.  F.  Butler  and 
Hon.  E.  Moody  Boynton),  with  an  expenditure  of  a  few  thousand  dollars 
at  the  falls. 


74 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


/ 


Under  date  of  Aug.  19,  1912,  Mr.  Levi  L.  H.  Taylor  of 
Haverhill  writes:  — 

What  we  want  is  either  a  lock  dam  at  Lions  Mouth  or  river  dredged  so 
we  can  have  18  feet  at  low  water.  The  barges  of  Standard  Oil  come  to 
Haverhill,  also  tugs  towing  coal  scows,  but  only  on  high  water. 


Lender  date  of  Sept.  17,  1912,  Mr.  Henry  C.  Long  writes:  — 

I  will  say  that  the  State  of  Massachusetts  and  the  Merrimac  valley 
stands  ready  to  put  up  two  millions  of  money  to  provide  terminals,  and 
to  connect  them  with  the  channels,  if  the  United  States  government  will 
make  a  channel.  I  should  say  it,  the  channel,  ought  to  be  at  least  300 
feet  wide  and  of  sufficient  depth  for  vessels  drawing  20  feet,  nothing  less 
will  be  of  any  value.  .  .  .  There  is  perhaps  not  another  waterway  in  the 
world  of  equal  length  upon  the  banks  of  which  exists  so  much  commerce, 
waiting  for  a  channel  to  use  it. 

Under  date  of  Sept.  18,  1912,  Mr.  Wm.  J.  Ward,  proprietor 
of  the  Merrimac  River  Boat  and  Canoe  Company,  writes:  — 

The  Merrimac  is  free  of  ice  from  the  middle  of  March  to  the  middle 
of  December  approximately,  —  a  period  of  nine  months.  Freshets  are 
few  and  of  short  duration.  Seven  feet  is  the  greatest  rise  above  the  dam 
at  Lawrence  recorded  (Essex  Company  records),  —  apparently  an  error. 
Average  freshet  rise,  about  4^  feet;  duration  of  freshet,  three  to  six  days; 
usual  number  of  freshets  each  year,  one,  shortly  before  or  after  April  first; 
rarely  have  others  in  midsummer  and  fall;  current  at  freshet  time,  7  to 
14  miles  per  hour,  according  to  place,  —  usually  7  or  less.  Merrimac  is 
navigable  its  entire  length,  from  Lowell  to  the  sea,  for  a  boat  drawing  6 
feet  of  water  when  a  freshet  is  on,  as  has  been  proven  (1886,  “Startled 
Fawn”).  Gen.  B.  F.  Butler  of  Lowell  operated  an  experimental  freight 
line  from  Newburyport  to  Lowell  in  early  80s  or  late  70s  (reference,  L.  C. 
Prouty,  35  Marginal  Street,  Lowell).  .  .  .  From  the  Lawrence  dam  to  a 
point  east  of  Lowell  called  McMannons  or  Richardson  Brook  the  depth 
is  ample  and  free  from  obstructions,  save  a  small  submerged  island  on 

the  north  side  100  feet  southwest  of  the  head  of  Pine  Island.  .  .  .  From 

* 

Richardson  Brook  west  to  the  foot  of  Hunts  Falls  in  Lowell  is  a  middle 
ground  similar  to  that  between  Lawrence  and  Mitchells  Falls.  Through 
this  a  channel  extends,  partty  obstructed  by  silt  and  sewage  deposits. 
The  distance  of  middle  ground  is  about  \\  miles.  Thirty-five  years  ago 
a  side-wheel  steamboat  navigated  between  Lawrence  and  the  foot  of 
Hunts  Falls  in  Lowell.  Boat  drew  2  or  3  feet  of  water. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


/o 

Under  date  of  Sept.  18,  1912,  the  Haverhill  Box  Board 
Company  writes :  — 

Our  plant  is  located  in  the  city  of  Haverhill  on  the  southern  bank  of 
the  Merrimac  River.  It  is  located  very  close  to  the  river,  where  we  can 
practically  handle  freight  received  by  water  as  cheaply  as  if  it  came  by 
rail.  .  .  . 

With  the  channel  as  proposed,  this  coal  could  be  delivered  to  our  plant 
in  the  original  barges  or  schooners  in  which  it  is  shipped  at  the  same  or 
a  slight  increase  in  the  cost  of  delivering  it  to  Newburyport.  Any  extra 
charge  for  delivering  at  Haverhill  would  be  more  than  offset  by  the  loss 
which  we  now  have  in  transferring  the  coal  at  Newburyport,  and  the 
damage  to  it  by  the  extra  handling.  We  therefore  figure  we  would  have 
a  saving  of  57  cents  per  ton  on  our  annual  consumption  of  27,000  tons, 
which  would  amount  to  $15,390. 

On  our  raw  materials  this  smallest  annual  saving  which  we  could  hope 
for  would  be  as  follows:  — 


5,000  tons  paper  stock  from  New  York,  $1  per  ton,  .  .  .  $5,000 

15,000  tons  paper  stock  from  Boston,  $0.50  per  ton,  .  .  .  7,500 

2,000  tons  wood  pulp,  $3  per  ton,  ......  6,000 

3,000  tons  sulphite,  $1.50  per  ton,  ......  1,500  1 

1,000  tons  rosin,  alum,  twine,  starch  and  miscellaneous  supplies, 

$1.50  per  ton,  .........  1,500 


$21,500 

Out  of  a  consumption  of  48,000  tons  of  raw  material  we  are  only  figur¬ 
ing  on  shipping  one-half  of  it  by  water.  .  *  .  Regarding  our  finished  prod¬ 
uct,  estimating  that  we  could  ship  one-third  of  our  output  by  water,  and 
more  than  that  amount  is  always  shipped  to  the  following  terminals:  — 

5,000  tons  to  New  York  at  $1.50  per  ton,  ....  $5,000 1 

10,000  tons  to  Boston  at  $0.50  per  ton,  ....  5,000 


$10,000 

...  I  might  add  that  at  the  present  time  it  requires  from  ten  days  to 
two  weeks  to  deliver  paper  to  New  York.  With  the  above  transporta¬ 
tion  our  goods  could  be  landed  in  Boston  the  day  following  and  in  New 
York  on  the  second  day.  You  will  realize  the  importance  of  these  quick 
deliveries,  as  it  often  means  the  leverage  by  which  business  is  secured.  .  .  . 
In  recapitulating,  the  saving  I  have  here  given  you  would  be  as  follows : — 

Estimated  Saving. 

On  coal,  ...........  $15,390 

On  raw  materials,  .........  21,500 

On  finished  product,  ........  10,000 1 


1  Computation  incorrect. 


$46,890 


76 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


As  this  plant  is  only  one  of  the  great  number  on  the  Merrimac  River,  I 
feel  assured  if  the  other  manufacturers  interested  will  make  up  such  a 
statement  you  will  find  that  the  United  States  government  can  afford  to 
expend  quite  a  handsome  sum  in  deepening  the  Merrimac  River  from 
Lowell  to  the  sea. 


The  mayor  of  Lawrence,  Hon.  Michael  A.  Scanlon,  states:  — 

The  State  of  Massachusetts,  I  think,  is  prepared  next  year  to  pass  a 
bill  appropriating  $1,000,000.  The  cities  along  the  Merrimac  valley  are 
prepared  to  raise  another  million  to  go  into  this  with,  and  we  feel  that  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  we  are  willing  to  help  ourselves  in  this  matter,  the 
least  the  United  States  government  can  do  would  be  to  help  along  with 
as  much  at  least  as  we  are  willing  to  give  here. 


Merrimac  Valley  Waterways  Association, 
Haverhill,  Mass.,  Dec.  19,  1912. 

Colonel  Abbot,  United  States  Engineering  Corps,  Boston,  Mass. 

Dear  Sir:  —  If  your  report,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  Merri¬ 
mac  River,  as  authorized  by  the  federal  government,  from  Newbury  port 
to  Lowell,  is  favorable,  it  will  mean  more  to  the  Merrimac  valley  than 
anything  ever  accomplished  to  relieve  the  present  and  future  congestion 
in  transportation. 

If  it  should  not  be  deemed  expedient  that  a  favorable  report  be  given 
as  far  as  Lawrence  and  Lowell  at  this  time,  I  trust  it  will  be  deemed 
expedient  to  make  such  a  favorable  report  from  Newburyport  to  Haver¬ 
hill,  and  especially  to  the  point  designated  on  the  enclosed  map. 1 

The  said  point  has  been  selected  as  the  most  appropriate  place  to  ter¬ 
minate  the  channel,  if  the  survey  warrants  it,  because  there  are  at  that 
point  about  fifty  acres  of  land  wdiich  are  available  and  can  be  bought  for 
a  reasonable  price,  with  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  running  along 
beside  the  same,  and  flanked  by  the  river  on  the  other  side. 

A  bridge  can  be  erected  close  to  this  point  across  the  river,  which  will 
bring  Lawrence  within  4|  miles  of  this  city,  whereas  at  present  it  is  71- 
miles  to  Lawrence.  As  is  well  known,  the  general  tendency  is  for  cities 
to  extend  westerly,  and  there  is  more  available  land  at  this  point  for 
Haverhill  to  spread  than  in  any  other  direction. 

I  have  a  concern  which  stands  ready  to  build  a  terminal  at  this  point 
sufficient  to  handle  all  freight  which  would  come  up  the  river,  and  is 
willing  to  make  a  proviso  that  the  same  may  be  bought  by  the  city  at  a 
price  10  per  cent,  over  the  cost  of  construction.  This  terminal  being  about 
3|  miles  from  Lawrence,  would  give,  with  auto  trucks,  better  service  to 
Lawrence  than  it  has  at  the  present  time,  with  the  railroad  making  a 


1  Not  reproduced. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


/  i 

long  run  from  this  city  to  that  city.  Haverhill  extends  along  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  for  9  miles,  2  miles  of  which  are  covered  with  factories 
and  retail  stores,  leaving  7  miles  which  are  adapted  for  any  and  all  kinds 
of  industries;  and  extends  along  the  south  bank  of  the  river  for  5  miles, 
3  of  which  are  adapted  for  waterway  and  railroad  shipping. 

The  saving  on  the  shipping  of  coal  alone  would  pay  more  than  4  per 
cent,  on  the  construction  bonds. 

I  believe  that,  if  it  seems  unwise  at  this  time  to  make  improvements 
in  the  river  from  Haverhill  to  Lowell,  the  drawing  enclosed  will  show  you 
the  course  of  a  canal  which  seems  feasible  to  me.  This  canal,  starting  at 
Concord,  N.  H.,  and  touching  the  several  towns  shown  on  the  plan,  and 
terminating  opposite  the  said  point,  would  come  within  \  mile  of  Lowell 
and  the  same  from  Lawrence. 

I  think  the  dam  should  be  placed  below  Chain  bridge,  as  suggested  by 
Captain  Woodman,  as  it  will  save  the  improvements  already  made  in 
Powow  River  and  also  make  the  said  river  as  deep  again.  This  will  also 
save  all  difficulties  arising  through  rise  and  fall  of  tides. 

I  would  very  much  like  to  show  you  the  location  of  the  suggested  end  of 
the  channel  at  Haverhill  before  you  draw  your  report,  and  the  location 
of  the  said  terminal  to  be  erected. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Leslie  K.  Morse, 

President  Merrimac  Valley  Waterways  Association. 


A  committee  was  appointed  in  1912  by  the  Governor  of  New 
Hampshire,  at  the  suggestion  of  this  Board,  and  conference 
has  been  held  and  inspection  made  of  the  upper  portion  of  the 
river  at  Manchester  and  other  points  by  representatives  of  the 
two  States. 

Among  the  statistical  matter  collected  by  the  Board  is  the 
following  relating  to  Nashua  and  Manchester,  in  New  Hamp¬ 
shire:  — 


Statistics  of  the  City  of  Manchester',  N.  II.,  prepared  under  the  Direction  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Manchester;  this  Table  is  included,  as  the 
Creation  of  a  Large  Coal  Terminal  at  Lawrence  or  Lowell  might  affect 
Coal  Prices,  due  to  Less  Length  of  Railroad  Haul,  and  Possibility  of 
Electric  Railway  Coal  Freighting. 


Population  (1910), 

Population  (1900), 

Population,  county  (1911), 
Total  tax  valuation  (1909), 
Total  tax  valuation  (1911), 
Total  tax  valuation  (full),  1912, 


70,063 
56,987 
126,072 
.  $38,102,944 
.  $41,736,846 

.  $68,452,145 


78 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Tax  rate  (1911), . 

$2.04  per  $100 

Tax  rate  (1912), . 

$1.50  per  $100 

Miles  from  Boston, . 

53 

Trains  to  and  from  Boston,  daily, 

20 

Tributary  towns:  — 

Bedford  (population  1,110)  (miles), 

6 

Goffstown  (population  2,579)  (miles),  . 

8J 

Hooksett  (population  1,528)  (miles), 

7 

Auburn  (population  637)  (miles),  . 

H 

Goffs  Falls  (miles),  . 

H 

Has  a  tributary  population  of  . 

250,000 

Area  of  city  (square  miles),  .... 

33.9 

Number  of  scholars  in  public  schools, 

5,337 

Number  of  scholars  in  parochial  schools,  . 

3,395 

Miles  of  water  pipe  laid, . 

117 

Miles  of  streets, . 

206 

Miles  of  sewers, . 

84 

Miles  of  street  railway, . 

40 

Public  parks, . 

13 

Churches, . 

42 

Volumes  in  public  library,  . 

65,000 

Passenger  trains  north  and  south,  daily,  . 

60 

Cotton  and  woolen  mills, . 

36 

Number  of  people  employed,  .  .  . 

15,000 

Number  of  spindles, . 

670,000 

Number  of  looms, . 

24,000 

Pounds  of  cotton  used  yearly,  .... 

.  63,100,000 

Yards  of  cloth  (cotton)  woven  yearly, 

.  235,873,750 

Pounds  of  wool  used  yearly,  .... 

.  15,300,000 

Yards  of  cloth  (woolen)  woven  yearly, 

.  21,000,000 

Number  of  turbine  wheels, . 

50 

Annual  pay  roll  mill  operatives, 

.  $6,200,000 

Savings  banks’  deposits, . 

.  $27,039,313 

Electric  light  companies, . 

1 

Electric  street  lights  running  all  night, 

625 

Bonded  indebtedness  of  city,  .  ... 

.  $1,645,000 

Bonded  indebtedness  of  city,  exclusive  of  water  bonds, 

$945,000 

Sinking  fund  for  city  and  water  bonds,  . 

$716,885 

Number  of  shoe  factories, . 

10 

Average  yearly  pay  roll, . 

.  $3,450,000 

Average  number  pair  of  shoes  yearly, 

.  14,150,000 

Number  of  operatives, . 

8,000 

Cigar  industry  employs, . 

850 

Pay  roll  annually  over . 

.  $6,000,000 

Number  of  cigars  made  annually, 

.  13,000,000 

Net  annual  income  on  which  city  is  run,  . 

.  $1,000,000 

*1914.]  HOUSE  — No.  2169.  79 

Number  of  men  on  police  force, .  53 

Appropriation  (1912), .  $85,980 

Number  of  men  of  fire  department, .  181 

Appropriation, . $138,575 

City  is  on  six  lines  of  railroads,  is  41  miles  from  seacoast. 

Recreation  resorts:  Pine  Island  Park,  Massabesic  Lake,  Un- 
canoonuc  Mountain. 

Population  of  State  (1910), .  430,572 


Statistics  of  Nashua  and  Manchester,  N.  H.,  for  1908,  compiled  under  Gov¬ 
ernor  Floyd  and  Board. 


Town. 

Number 
of  Es¬ 
tablish¬ 
ments. 

Capital 

invested. 

Value 
of  Stock 
used. 

Amount 

Wages 

yearly. 

People 

em¬ 

ployed. 

Value 

of 

Product. 

Nashua,  . 

92 

$7,321,960 

-1 

$3,452,026 

7,451 

$17,176,439 

Manchester, 

157 

25,208,766 

9,744,839 

23,699 

40,397,334 

1  No  data  given. 


INVESTIGATIONS,  SURVEYS  AND  EXAMINATIONS  MADE  BY 
THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 

The  provisions  of  chapter  96  of  the  Revised  Laws  relating 
to  tidewaters,  and  defining  the  powers  and  duties  of  the  Mas¬ 
sachusetts  Board  of  Harbor  and  Land  Commissioners,  are 
applicable  to  that  part  of  the  Merrimac  River  where  the  tide 
ebbs  and  flows,  and  that  Board  has  exercised  its  jurisdiction 
over  the  same  for  years,  with  respect  to  encroachments,  the 
building  of  bridges,  wharves  and  other  structures,  and  other¬ 
wise.  The  Commonwealth  has  not  made  any  expenditures 
under  the  direction  of  that  Board  for  dredging  or  otherwise  im¬ 
proving  the  navigation  of  this  river,  but  in  1902  ordered  an 
investigation  to  be  made  by  the  Board  of  Harbor  and  Land 
Commissioners  and  a  report  submitted  to  the  Legislature  on 
the  possibility  and  advisability  of  opening  this  river  to  naviga¬ 
tion  from  Lowell  to  the  sea.  This  report  was  printed  in  the 
annual  report  of  that  Board  for  1902,  and  set  forth  in  general 
terms  the  examinations,  surveys  and  projects  made  by  the 
federal  government  up  to  that  time,  the  situation  at  Lawrence 
and  Lowell,  including  the  canals  and  locks  and  other  matters. 
Ill  speaking  of  the  method  of  improving  navigation  between 
Haverhill  and  Lawrence,  the  opinion  was  expressed  that  the 


80 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


best  wav  would  be  the  “  construction  of  a  dam  and  lock  at 

t / 

Mitchells  Lower  Falls,  the  removal  of  bowlders  and  the  dredg¬ 
ing  in  shoal  spots  of  the  river  between  the  upper  falls  and  the 
lower  lock  in  the  canal  at  Lawrence,  and  the  raising  of  bridges 
or  the  substituting  of  drawbridges  over  the  canal  from  the 
lower  locks  to  the  dam  of  the  Essex  Company  at  Lawrence. 
.  .  .  It  is  assumed  that  a  dam  at  Mitchells  Lower  Falls  4 
feet  high,  with  a  lock  of  about  the  same  size  as  the  lower  lock 
of  the  canal  at  Lawrence,  would  be  sufficient.  That  would 
allow  navigation  of  the  river  from  Haverhill  to  the  lower  locks 
at  Lawrence  for  barges  drawing  about  4  feet  of  water.” 

There  are  three  locks  in  the  lower  canal  at  Lawrence,  100  feet  long 
and  20  feet  wide,  but  over  the  sill  of  the  lower  lock  there  is  onlv  about 
2.5  feet  of  water  at  ordinary  low  water  in  the  river.  After  passing  the 
lower  locks  into  the  canal  there  are  fourteen  bridges  over  the  canal,  con¬ 
necting  the  city  proper  with  the  mill  yards.  Five  of  the  bridges  are  rail¬ 
road,  two  are  highway  and  seven  owned  by  the  Essex  Company  and 
several  mills,  for  the  mill  operatives,  teaming  and  general  use.  The  dis¬ 
tance  from  the  lower  locks  to  the  dam  is  about  1  mile.  Under  these 
bridges  there  is  very  little  head  room,  —  in  some  instances  not  over  2 
feet.  It  would  be  impracticable  for  barges  or  lighters  to  use  the  canal 
without  raising  the  bridges  or  constructing  draws  therein. 

The  fall  of  the  river  at  Lawrence  from  the  dam  to  the  lower  locks  is 
about  28  feet. 

In  describing  the  river  above  the  Lawrence  dam,  the  Board 
sav :  — 

t/ 

From  the  dam  at  Lawrence  to  Hunts  Falls,  below  Lowell,  at  the  junc¬ 
tion  of  the  Merrimac  and  Concord  rivers,  about  9  miles,  navigation  is 
practicable  after  dredging  away  the  shoals  and  bowlders  near  its  upper 
end. 

At  Hunts  Falls  there  are  two  sections,  the  upper  and  lower  falls.  From 
the  basin  above  the  falls,  near  the  first  lock  on  the  Lowell  canal  to  the 
basin  below,  is  about  5,700  feet,  and  in  that  length  of  river  there  was  a 
fall  of  about  11  feet  in  1881.  This  has  been  reduced  by  the  Locks  and 
Canal  Company,  so  that  now  the  upper  basin  above  the  falls  is  only  7 
or  8  feet  higher  than  the  basin  below  the  falls. 

The  fall  in  the  river  in  the  9  miles  from  Lawrence  dam  to  Hunts  Falls 
is  only  about  1  foot,  and  the  channel  is  from  5  to  30  feet  in  depth,  except¬ 
ing  one  rocky  shoal  and  some  bowlders  which  could  easily  be  removed. 
At  Hunts  Falls  the  current  is  very  rapid,  and  the  river  bed  is  rocky  and 
irregular,  and  only  2  or  3  feet  in  depth  for  some  distance. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


81 


At  Hunts  Falls,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
construct  a  dam  and  lock  to  aid  navigation.  It  would  not  be  practicable 
to  cut  away  the  falls  sufficiently  to  allow  barges  to  be  drawn  through  a 
channel,  because  this  would  decrease  the  depth  of  water  in  the  river  above 
to  less  than  the  required  navigable  depth. 

There  are  three  locks  in  the  canal  between  the  Concord  River  and  the 
pond  above  the  Lowell  dam.  The  length  of  the  locks  respectively  is 
about  100  feet;  the  width  of  the  lock  gates  is  only  12  feet,  and  the  locks 
would  be  available  for  craft  drawing  only  3  feet  of  water. 

This  canal  from  the  lower  locks  at  the  Concord  River  junction  to  the 
dam  above  passes  directly  through  the  city.  The  fall  from  the  dam  to 
the  lower  lock  is  about  32  feet.  Across  this  canal  also  are  five  highway 
bridges,  three  railroad  bridges  and  two  mill  bridges.  Just  above  the 
lower  locks  is  an  old  highway  bridge,  and  the  head  room  between  the 
average  surface  of  the  water  in  the  canal  and  the  truss  of  the  bridge  is 
only  18  inches.  This  is  a  much-travelled  street  in  the  city,  fully  occupied 
on  both  sides  with  mills,  warehouses  or  stores.  It  would  be  very  expen¬ 
sive  to  raise  the  bridge,  on  which  buildings  have  been  erected  on  either 
side  of  the  travelled  way,  or  to  make  a  draw  therein. 

The  concluding  portions  of  this  report  are:  — 

The  canals  at  Lawrence  and  Lowell  are  now  very  little  used  for  the 
passage  of  boats.  Many  years  ago  rafts  of  logs  and  spars  or  masts  were 
carried  through  the  locks.  There  was  also  some  other  freight  carried 
through  the  canals.  Careful  records  of  both  canals  have  been  kept  of 
the  passage  of  barges,  rowboats,  launches  and  canoes.  The  locks  have 
been  used  for  that  purpose  only  a  few  times  each  for  the  last  twenty-five 
years.  No  freight  has  passed  through  the  canals  for  many  years. 

The  locks  of  the  Lawrence  canal  have  been  little  used  for  the  last  twenty- 
five  years.  .  .  .  The  cost  of  the  dam  and  lock  at  Mitchells  Falls  and  at 
Hunts  Falls,  respectively,  and  the  dredging  of  shoals  and  bowlders  at 
several  places  in  the  river  between  Haverhill  and  Lowell,  would  be  the 
smallest  of  the  items  of  cost.  A  very  large  expense  would  be  the  raising 
of  the  bridges  to  make  more  head  room,  or  providing  the  same  with  suit¬ 
able  draws;  but  larger  than  all  would  be  the  damages  caused  by  the  loss 
of  power  to  the  many  mills  on  the  banks  of  the  two  canals,  and  no  approxi¬ 
mate  estimate  of  the  cost  can  be  given. 

The  dam  at  Mitchells  Falls  would  decrease  the  flow  and  fall  of  water 
at  the  lower  locks  and  mill  raceways  in  the  canal  at  Lawrence.  This 
would  probably  not  cause  so  large  damage  and  loss  of  power  as  the  dam 
and  lock  at  Hunts  Falls  in  Lowell.  The  building  of  a  dam  there  would 
reduce  the  water  power  available  for  all  the  mills  on  the  several  canals 
in  Lowell  about  4  feet. 

The  cost  of  the  work,  including  the  building  of  two  dams  and  locks, 
dredging  shoals,  removing  bowlders,  damages  to  water  power  and  cost  of 
street  and  bridge  changes  in  Lawrence  and  Lowell,  could  only  be  accu- 


82  MERRIMAC  RIVER.  [Jan. 

rately  determined  after  a  long  and  expensive  investigation  by  engineers 
and  experts. 

When  completed,  as  above  suggested,  without  substantially  enlarging 
the  locks  (except  at  the  lower  lock  in  Lawrence),  the  river  would  be  navi¬ 
gable  to  and  through  Lawrence  by  barges  20  feet  wide,  100  feet  long  and 
drawing  4  feet  of  water;  and  to  and  through  Lowell  by  barges  12  feet 
wide,  100  feet  long  and  drawing  3  feet  of  water.  Barges  or  craft  of  that 
size  would  not  be  safe  for  transporting  freight  even  from  Boston  harbor. 
All  freight  for  Lawrence  or  Lowell  would  require  rehandling  at  Newbury- 
port  or  Haverhill.  ' 

The  amount  of  freight  tonnage  for  the  cities  of  Lawrence  and  Lowell 
should  be  considered  in  this  connection.  For  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1902,  all  the  freight  carried  into  the  two  cities  by  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Railroad  was  as  follows:  — 


Carried  into  Lawrence :  — 

Tons  of  coal,  .........  246,031 

Tons  of  all  other  freight,  .......  450,917- 

Carried  into  Lowell:  — 

Tons  of  coal,  .........  295,697 

Tons  of  all  other  freight,  .......  520,145 


Coal  would  be  more  likely  to  seek  water  transportation  than  other 
freight.  The  mills  for  the  most  part  have  spur  tracks  to  their  boiler 
rooms.  The  necessary  rehandling  of  coal  in  the  lower  river  and  the  cart¬ 
ing  from  canal  to  boiler  room  would  have  to  be  added  to  the  water-borne 
freights  in  offsetting  the  greater  all-rail  coal  rates;  and  the  difference  in 
cost  of  transportation  would  probably  be  small.  The  outgoing  freight 
from  the  two  cities  would  largely  be  by  rail. 

The  work  of  opening  the  Merrimac  River  from  Lowell  to  the  sea  would 
be  feasible  and  practicable  from  the  engineering  point  of  view;  but,  con¬ 
sidering  the  large  cost  and  the  damages  involved,  and  the  relatively  small 
savings  on  freight  which  must  be  rehandled  on  the  lower  river  and  trans¬ 
ported  in  such  small  barges,  the  Board  reports  that,  in  its  opinion,  it  is 
not  advisable  for  the  State  to  undertake  the  large  expense  of  opening  the 
river  to  navigation  from  Lowell  to  the  sea. 

The  United  States  engineers  have  for  years  made  surveys  and  reports 
on  this  work,  and  the  United  States  has  expended  large  sums  to  improve 
the  navigation  of  the  Merrimac  River.  Apart  from  the  large  expense,  it 
may  be  better  to  leave  the  work  in  sole  charge  of  the  United  States. 

Notwithstanding  this  adverse  report,'  municipalities,  Boards 
of  Trade  and  other  organizations,  representatives  in  Congress, 
as  well  as  public-spirited  citizens  in  the  Merrimac  valley,  have 
kept  alive  the  movement  for  an  improved  waterway,  bringing 
about  in  1912  the  legislation  under  which  this  Board  is  acting, 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


83 


and  co-operating  with  it,  as  well  as  independently,  in  collecting 
facts  and  data  required  by  it  and  the  engineer  officer  engaged 
in  a  preliminary  examination  of  the  river  under  authority  of 
the  river  and  harbor  act  of  Congress. 


Bridges,  Dams,  Locks  and  Canals  on  Merrimac  River. 

Present  Condition. 

The  river  between  Newburyport  and  Haverhill  is  crossed  by 
eight  bridges,  six  of  which  form  a  part  of  highways  and  two 
are  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  bridges.  The  clear  height  at 
mean  low  water  varies  from  19.5  feet,  the  lowest,  to  41.5  feet, 
the  highest.  There  are  draws  in  six,  varying  from  38  feet,  the 
smallest,  to  76  feet,  the  largest,  for  the  passage  of  water  craft. 
The  two  upper  bridges,  namely,  the  Boston  &  Maine  bridge 
at  Haverhill,  and  the  highway  bridge  at  Haverhill,  known  as 
County  bridge,  have  no  draws  therein,  the  clear  height  at  mean 
low  water  being  41.5  feet  at  the  railroad  bridge  and  32.5  feet 
at  the  highway  bridge. 

Between  the  County  bridge  at  Haverhill  and  the  Lawrence 
dam  there  are  the  following  bridges,  —  Union  Street,  Boston 
&  Lowell  Railroad  bridge,  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  bridge, 
Broadway  bridge. 

Between  the  Lawrence  dam  and  Hunts  Falls  there  are  no 
bridges  across  the  river. 


Between  Hunts  Falls  and  the  Pawtucket  Dam  at  Lowell. 


Approxi¬ 
mate  Grade 
under  Side 
of  Truss 
above 
Locks  and 
Canals 
Datum. 

Elevation  of  Water 
(Feet). 

Name  of  Bridge 
across 

Merrimac  River. 

Type  of 
Bridge. 

Used  for  what 
Purpose. 

Ordinary 

Height. 

In  Extreme 
Freshet 
(March  3, 
1896). 

Centralville, 

Steel  truss,  . 

Highway  and 
street  cars. 

67.7 

45.0 

63.2 

Aiken  Street, 

Steel  truss,  . 

Highway, 

73.3 

46.0 

65.0 

Moody  Street, 

Deck  steel 
truss. 

Highway  and 
street  cars'. 

82.6 

55.0 

81.4 

School  Street  or  Paw¬ 
tucket. 

Steel  truss,  . 

Highway  and 
street  cars. 

97.1 

65.0 

90.7 

Between  the  Pawtucket  Dam  at  Lowell  and  the  State  Line. 


Vesper  Country  Club,  . 

Suspension,  . 

Private  foot 

108.5 

87. 01 

100.7 

bridge. 

Tyngsborough, 

Steel  truss,  . 

Highway, 

104.6 

87. 01 

102.8 

1  Top  of  dashboards. 


84 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


The  construction  of  a  central  bridge,  with  suitable  ap¬ 
proaches,  over  this  river,  at  a  point  between  the  present 
Broadway  bridge  and  Union  Street  bridge,  has  been  authorized 
and  provided  for  by  the  Legislature  in  chapter  513  of  the  Acts 
of  1906,  chapter  486  of  the  Acts  of  1907,  and  chapter  640  of 
the  Acts  of  1913,  and  it  is  understood  that  plans  are  now  being 
prepared  under  the  direction  of  a  special  bridge  commission. 

In  order  to  make  use  of  an  improved  river  channel,  as  indi¬ 
cated  in  this  report  and  shown  on  the  accompanying  maps  and 
plans,  any  plan  adopted  by  this  bridge  commission  should  pro¬ 
vide  for  a  structure  with  a  draw  therein  having  an  opening  of 
not  less  than  50  feet  in  width. 

By  license  granted  by  the  Board  of  Harbor  and  Land  Com¬ 
missioners  July  24,  1912,  the  county  commissioners  of  Essex 
County  were  authorized  to  extend  the  center  pier  of  the  bridge 
between  Haverhill  and  West  Newbury,  known  as  Rocks  bridge, 
by  building  a  timber  crib  at  the  northerly  end  of  said  pier  and 
to  jacket  with  wood  the  westerly  stone  pier  of  said  bridge,  to 
carry  out  certain  requirements  of  the  War  Department. 

By  chapter  613  of  the  Acts  of  1913  the  county  commissioners 
of  Essex  County  were  authorized  to  reconstruct  that  part  of 
this  bridge  which  lies  east  of  the  draw.  Plans  of  the  proposed 
work  were  approved  by  the  Board  of  Harbor  and  Land  Com¬ 
missioners  Sept.  3,  1913,  it  being  provided  in  the  license  granted 
that  the  foundations  of  the  pier  nearest  the  channel  and  draw 
be  at  such  depth  as  to  allow  future  deepening  of  the  river 
channel  to  18  feet  at  mean  low  water  without  impairing  the 
stability  and  safety  of  the  bridge. 

By  chapter  826  of  the  Acts  of  1913  the  county  commissioners 
of  Essex  County  were  authorized  to  repair  or  reconstruct  that 
part  of  the  bridge  between  Haverhill  and  Groveland,  known  as 
Groveland  bridge,  which  lies  east  of  the  draw.  Plans  of  the 
proposed  work  were  approved  by  the  Board  of  Harbor  and 
Land  Commissioners  Sept.  3,  1913. 

No  changes  in  the  draw  ways  of  these  bridges  were- required 
by  these  licenses. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2109. 


85 


Dams  and  Water  Power.1 

The  first  step  toward  the  construction  of  any  hydraulic 
works  on  the  Merrimac  River  was  taken  June  27,  1792,  on 
which  date  a  corporation,  known  as  the  “Proprietors  of  the 
Locks  and  Canals  on  Merrimac  River,”  was  chartered  for  the 
purpose  of  improving  the  navigation  of  the  river  and  rendering 
it  navigable  by  boats  from  tidewater  to  the  New  Hampshire 
line. 

The  dam  at  Lawrence,  built  of  stone  and  near  the  foot  of 
what  were  known  as  Bodwell’s  Falls,  the  first  structure  of  that 
kind  reached  in  passing  up  the  Merrimac  River  from  Haverhill, 
was  completed  in  1848,  and  is  owned  by  the  Essex  Company, 
incorporated  in  1845. 

This  dam  creates  a  pool  and  deadens  the  current  as  far  as 
the  foot  of  Hunts  Falls,  and  gives  a  pond  area  of  about 
29,000,000  square  feet. 

There  is  a  canal  on  each  side  of  the  river;  the  one  on  the 
north  side  being  about  5,330  feet  long,  100  feet  wide  at  the 
upper  end  and  60  feet  at  the  lower  end.  At  the  head  of  this 
canal  there  is  a  lock  and  at  the  foot  three  locks  descending  into 
the  river. 

The  south  canal  was  built  in  1866,  and  carried  for  a  distance 
of  2,000  feet  with  a  rectangular  section  60  feet  wide  and  10 
feet  deep. 

The  dam  at  Lowell,  known  as  the  Pawtucket  dam,  is  the  next 
structure  of  that  character  existing  above  the  Lawrence  dam  at 
Lawrence.  The  canal  known  as  the  Pawtucket  canal  was  built 
before  1800,  having  been  opened  in  1796. 

In  1822  the  Merrimac  Manufacturing  Company  was  in¬ 
corporated  and  this  company  in  that  year  enlarged  the  Paw¬ 
tucket  canal. 

It  appears  that  in  1821  there  was  a  wing  dam  at  the  head  of 
the  falls,  together  with  a  saw  and  grist  mill.  This  dam  ex¬ 
tended  to  what  is  known  as  Great  Rock,  and  its  top  was 
several  feet  below  the  top  of  the  present  dam.  In  1825  there 
was  a  temporary  dam  across  the  river,  and  in  1826  the  Merri¬ 
mac  Manufacturing  Company  appeared  to  have  made  a  be- 


1  In  part  from  water  power  of  United  States;  census  of  1880. 


86 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 

ginning  on  a  new  dam,  but  in  that  year  this  company  trans¬ 
ferred  its  real  estate  to  the  Proprietors  of  the  Locks  and 
Canals,  which  completed  the  dam  in  1830  to  2  feet  below  its 
present  height.  It  was  raised  2  feet  in  1833  by  putting  on  two 
courses  of  granite  stone. 

In  1847  that  part  of  the  dam  between  Great  Rock  and  the 
gate  house  was  rebuilt  in  its  present  position,  to  conform  to 
the  entrance  to  the  northern  canal,  which  was  built  during 
that  and  the  previous  year  (1846). 

In  1869  the  Directors  considered  the  propriety  of  rebuilding 
the  remainder  of  the  dam  from  Great  Rock  to  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  but  it  was  not  decided  to  commence  the  work 
until  February,  1875.  A  new  dam  was  built  on  nearly  the  same 
site  as  the  old  one.  This  dam  deadens  the  current  in  the 
ordinary  state  of  the  river  for  about  18  miles,  forming,  in  low 
water,  a  reservoir  of  about  1,120  acres.  The  dam  is  situated 
at  the  head  of  what  are  known  as  Pawtucket  Falls,  and  for  a 
distance  of  about  one-half  mile  below  the  gate  house  the  bed 
of  the  stream  is  solid  rock,  and  the  banks  high  and  rocky. 

Two  canals  lead  the  water  from  above  the  dam,  the  original 
Pawtucket  canal,  enlarged  in  1822  and  1823,  and  the  northern 
canal,  both  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  Various  other  canals 
intersect  these  two. 

The  fall  at  Lowell,  at  ordinary  low  water,  is  about  40  feet, 
of  which  about  3  feet  is  lost  in  consequence  of  the  descent  in 
the  canals,  leaving  a  net  fall  of  about  37  feet. 

The  Lowell  mill  pond  extends  to  the  foot  of  Cromwells  Falls, 
4J  miles  above  Nashua  and  17f  miles  above  Pawtucket  dam. 
From  this  point  up  to  Manchester,  N.  H.,  a  distance  of  about 
13  miles,  the  river  rises  about  33  feet. 

The  water  power  derived  from  the  river  at  Lowell  is  con¬ 
trolled  and  operated  for  ten  different  manufacturing  corpora¬ 
tions  by  the  Proprietors  of  the  Locks  and  Canals  on  Merrimac 
River.  The  turbine  water  wheels  now  established  are  capable 
of  drawing  from  the  pond  above  the  dam  through  the  canals 
9,211  cubic  feet  per  second  and  developing  29,911  horse  power. 
Additional  or  larger  wheels  are  occasionally  put  in.  All  power 
developed  here  is  used  in  manufacturing  upon  adjacent  mill 
sites. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


87 


At  Lawrence  the  water  of  the  river  is  controlled  and  operated 
and  furnished  to  the  several  manufacturing  corporations  by  the 
Essex  Company.  The  turbine  wheels  now  established  are 
capable  of  drawing  from  the  pond  above  the  dam  through  the 
canals  9,906  cubic  feet  per  second  and  developing  25,251  net 
horse  powers. 

A  record  of  the  craft  passing  through  the  Essex  Company’s 
north  canal  during  the  years  1908-12,  inclusive,  is  as  follows:1  — 


Year. 

t 

Launches 

passed. 

Rowboats. 

Canoes. 

Sailboats. 

Boats. 

Scows. 

People. 

Craft  carried 
by  L.  Locks. 

Lumber 

Rafts. 

Dories. 

Various  Craft. 

Craft. 

d 

I—' 

Down. 

Total. 

1908,  . 

8 

- 

8 

1 

- 

- 

29 

8 

- 

- 

- 

5 

12 

17 

1909,  . 

22 

1 

9 

1 

- 

- 

55 

9 

- 

1 

- 

16 

18 

34 

1910,  . 

16 

- 

7 

- 

- 

- 

48 

8 

- 

2 

- 

10 

15 

25 

1911,  . 

15 

- 

9 

- 

- 

- 

61 

9 

- 

1 

- 

7 

18 

25 

1912,  . 

17 

2 

13 

- 

- 

- 

79 

15 

- 

1 

- 

16 

17 

33 

1  Furnished  by  the  Essex  Company. 


Surveys,  Maps  and  Plans  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Water¬ 
way  Board,  and  Project  for  Development. 

For  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  feasibility,  merits  and 
probable  cost  of  a  canal  on  the  south  side  of  Merrimac  River, 
from  a  point  on  the  river  bank  just  below  Ward  Hill  to  the  pool 
above  the  Lawrence  dam,  surveys  were  made  by  Mr.  George 
W.  Wood  of  Malden,  Mass.,  civil  engineer,  who  was  engaged 
to  make  surveys,  examinations  and  estimates  of  cost  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  this  inquiry.  This  survey  covered  two  locations  for 
the  canal,  one  entirely  on  the  south  side  of  the  Boston  &  Maine 
Railroad,  connecting  with  the  river  just  below  Ward  Hill  cut; 
the  other  beginning  at  the  same  river  point,  below  Ward 
Hill,  and  following  the  Ward  Hill  railroad  cut,  the  south  bank 
of  the  Merrimac  River,  crossing  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Shawsheen  River,  thence  to  the  same 
point  above  the  Lawrence  dam. 

The  valuation  of  the  property  which  it  would  be  necessary  to 
purchase  or  take  on  both  of  these  locations  was  obtained,  and 


88 


ME  R  RIM  AC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


the  physical  difficulties  and  other  matters  connected  with  the 
construction  of  such  a  canal  as  would  serve  the  purpose  of 
allowing  the  passage  of  vessels  from  the  lower  river  to  a  point 
above  this  dam  were  carefully  considered. 

The  conclusion  reached  by  the  Board  was  that,  owing  to  the 
land  damages,  which  would  amount  to  a  large  sum,  the  cost  of 
necessary  bridges  at  various  streets  in  North  Andover  and 
South  Lawrence,  the  relaying  of  sewers,  water  mains  and  car 
tracks,  the  large  amount  of  water  which  would  be  required  in 
the  canal,  and  particularly  as  such  a  canal  would  not,  in  the 
judgment  of  this  Board,  best  serve  the  business  interests  of 
Lawrence,  a  channel  dredged  in  the  river  and  canals  con¬ 
structed  across  Ward  Hill  and  at  the  Lawrence  dam  would  be 
a  better  solution  of  the  problem. 

The  project  developed  on  these  lines  is  described  later,  and 
shown  on  the  maps  and  plans  annexed  to  this  report. 

Access  to  and  use  of  surveys  and  maps  of  sections  of  the 
river  made  by  the  Essex  Company  and  the  Proprietors  of  Locks 
and  Canals  were  courteously  allowed. 

The  length  of  river  between  the  Lawrence  dam  and  the  upper 
limit  of  this  survey  at  Hunts  Falls  is  about  8.8  miles,  and 
between  the  Lawrence  dam  and  the  lower  limit  about  6.5  miles. 

The  stretch  of  river  from  the  upper  limit  of  the  Board’s 
survev  to  the  boundarv  line  between  Massachusetts  and  New 

«.  i' 

Hampshire  is  about  llj  miles,  and  the  Board’s  inquiry  with 
respect  thereto  has  necessarily  been  confined  to  an  inspection 
and  the  collection  of  such  data  as  will  be  valuable  for  future  use 
in  preparing  a  project  for  improvement  of  navigation  as  far  as 
the  State  line,  which,  if  carried  into  effect,  would  not  only 
benefit  those  communities  along  the  river  banks  in  Massa¬ 
chusetts,  but,  if  extended,  would  be  of  the  greatest  advantage 
to  the  cities  of  Nashua,  Manchester  and  other  points  on  the 
river  front  in  New  Hampshire. 

Immediately  after  this  Board’s  acceptance  of  the  condition 
previously  referred  to,  that  the  State  should  make  a  survey  of 
the  Merrimac  River  and  prepare  a  project,  with  estimate  of 
cost  for  a  channel  having  a  depth  of  18  feet  and  suitable  width 
from  Ward  Hill  to  Lowell,  the  engineer  was  instructed  to 
supplement  the  surveys  already  made  by  him  by  one  between 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2109. 


89 


the  points  indicated  above;  to  direct  and  supervise  the  work  of 
making  borings  necessary  to  determine  the  character  of  material 
which  would  probably  be  encountered  in  carrying  out  any  proj¬ 
ect  involving  excavation  and  dredging,  either  wholly  in  the 
river  or  partly  in  the  river  and  partly  across  a  portion  of  the 
adjoining  shore  within  this  stretch  of  river;  to  prepare  a  map 
showing  thereon  the  shore  lines,  topographical  features,  sound¬ 
ings  and  other  details,  also  the  location  and  width  of  the  pro¬ 
posed  river  channel;  and  to  prepare  and  submit  a  report  and 
estimate  of  cost  of  the  necessary  dredging  and  excavation  to 
provide  a  channel  200  feet  wide  and  18  feet  deep  from  Ward 
Hill  to  Lowell. 

Subsequently,  Edward  C.  Sherman,  civil  engineer,  of  Boston, 

Mass.,  was  employed  to  act  as  consulting  engineer,  and  advise 

the  Board  on  important  engineering  questions  involved  in  this 

investigation,  including  a  study  of  the  existing  conditions  at 

the  Lawrence  dam,  the  building  of  locks,  canals  and  dams,  the 

rebuilding  of  existing  structures,  and  to  submit  a  report,  with 

plans,  estimates  and  suggestions,  as  to  the  necessary  works, 

% 

their  probable  effect,  if  any,  upon  the  valuable  water-power 
privileges  at  Lawrence  and  Lowell,  the  creation  of  additional 
water  power  in  the  river,  together  with  any  other  matters 
pertinent  to  this  investigation. 

The  project  which  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board, 
has  prepared,  based  on  the  surveys  and  examinations  made  by 
its  engineers,  and  shown  on  the  accompanying  plans,  provides 
for  a  navigable  channel  18  feet  deep  by  dredging  in  the  Merri¬ 
mac  River,  and  by  excavating  and  building  a  canal  and  locks 
at  Ward  Hill  and  a  canal  and  locks  at  the  Lawrence  dam, 
which  would  permit  the  passage  of  vessels  of  17  feet  draft, 
which  might  proceed  from  the  open  sea  up  river  in  a  channel 
IS  feet  deep  to  a  point  opposite  Ward  Hill,  below  the  Lawrence 
dam,  thence  to  Hunts  Falls  at  Lowell. 

The  total  length  of  the  improved  water  way  would  be  about 
15.3  miles,  of  which  about  34,175  feet,  or  about  6.5  miles, 
would  be  below  the  Lawrence  dam,  and  about  46,540  feet,  or 
about  8.8  miles,  above  that  dam. 

The  width  as  well  as  the  depth  of  the  river  channel  would  be 
the  same,  namely,  200  feet  and  18  feet,  respectively,  as  that 


90 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


recommended  for  an  improved  channel  from  the  sea  to  a  point 
opposite  Ward  Hill,  and  as  described  in  the  preliminary  report 
of  Col.  Frederic  V.  Abbot  previously  quoted  from. 

The  location  of  the  canal  to  be  constructed  at  Ward  Hill  is 
shown  on  the  accompanying  plans,  and  would  extend  from  the 
river  channel  to  be  dredged  up  to  Mitchells  Falls,  through  the 
adjoining  upland  southerly  of  the  river,  a  distance  of  about 
4,255  feet,  connecting  again  with  the  river  at  a  point  just 
above  Kimball’s  Island.  The  width  of  this  proposed  canal 
would  be  100  feet  and  the  depth  18  feet.  The  dimensions 
of  the  proposed  lock  at  the  entrance  to  the  canal  down 
stream  would  be  as  follows:  usable  length,  350  feet;  width, 
45  feet;  depth  at  gate  sill,  18  feet.  It  is  also  proposed  to 
provide  an  additional  small  lock  for  the  use  of  small  boats, 
leading  from  the  westerly  side  of  the  turning  basin  in  the  Ward 
Hill  canal  to  the  river,  for  convenience  and  saving  time. 

The  proposed  canal  and  lock  at  the  Lawrence  dam  would 
be  located  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  as  shown  on  the 
accompanying  plans,  extending  from  a  point  below  the  dam 
to  the  pool  above.  The  dimensions  of  this  lock  would  be 
the  same  as  the  one  proposed  at  the  Ward  Hill  canal.  As 
practically  the  entire  normal  flow  of  the  river  at  Lawrence 
is  used  for  power  purposes,  it  is  necessary  to  conserve  for 
that  purpose  as  much  of  the  water  as  possible  using  only  so 
much  as  may  be  absolutely  required  for  lockage.  It  is  pro¬ 
posed  to  divide  the  usable  length  of  lock,  350  feet,  into  two 
chambers  of  about  110  feet  and  240  feet,  respectively,  by  means 
of  intermediate  gates,  so  that  for  any  vessel  a  lock  chamber 
of  suitable  length  can  be  provided. 

It  is  proposed  to  provide,  in  addition  to  the  lock  at  Lawrence 
above  described,  a  flight  of  two  small  locks,  each  about  50 
feet  long,  10  feet  wide  and  5  feet  deep  at  low  water,  to  be  built 
adjacent  to  the  large  lock,  for  use  by  motor  boats  and  other 
small  craft,  thus  conserving  the  water  supply  and  avoiding  use 
of  even  the  110-foot  chamber  of  the  large  lock. 

The  Board  has  carefully  considered  the  subject  of  con¬ 
structing  a  dam  across  the  river  at  a  point  about  1,700  feet 
below  the  lower  end  of  Kimball’s  Island,  where  the  stream  is 
about  400  feet  wide,  which  would  hold  back  the  water  and 
create  a  pool  at  a  level  which  would  not  interfere  with  the  flow 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


91 


from  the  water  wheels  at  Lawrence,  thus  reducing  to  a  mini¬ 
mum  the  amount  of  excavation  necessary  for  the  channel. 

The  consulting  engineer,  in  speaking  of  this  proposed  dam, 
says :  — 

The  water  cannot  be  permitted  to  back  up  to  a  higher  elevation  at 

Lawrence  than  it  does  now.  At  the  same  time,  a  reasonably  tight  dam 

% 

with  its  crest  at  about  elevation  4.5  should  be  available  during  times  of 
low  flow.  .  .  .  Owing  to  the  very  considerable  rise  of  the  river  in  time 
of  flood,  and  to  the  presence  of  ice  floes  in  the  spring,  the  most  satisfactory 
dam  would  be  one  of  those  which  fold  down  on  the  bottom  of  the  stream. 
.  .  .  It  is  probable  that  a  dam  of  the  bear-trap  type  would  best  serve  the 
purpose.  .  .,  .  The  proposed  dam  would  consist  of  four  bear-traps,  each 
about  90  feet  long,  set  between  permanent  masonry  end  abutments  and 
three  river  piers.  The  piers  would  also  provide  supports  for  a  combina¬ 
tion  highway  and  service  bridge.  ...  No  design  has  been  made  for  this 
dam,  .  .  .  but  from  sketches  it  has  been  roughly  estimated  to  cost  about 
$310,000. 

The  necessary  changes  at  the  Lawrence  dam,  and  work  other 
than  that  alreadv  described  above,  would  be  substantiallv  as 
follows :  — 

The  total  length  of  this  dam,  which  is  now,  on  its  crest,  897 
feet,  would,  after  its  proposed  extension  of  about  175  feet  at 
its  south  end,  be  reduced  to  about  875  feet  by  the  construction 
of  the  proposed  locks. 

Above  and  near  the  Lawrence  dam  the  excavation  of  a  new 
entrance  to  the  north  power  canal,  and  some  changes  at  the 
south  power  canal,  would  be  necessary. 

It  is  proposed  to  excavate  a  channel  way  in  the  rock  near 
and  below  the  Lawrence  dam  to  compensate  in  part  for  the 
restrictions  of  the  river  flow,  and  to  further  improve  conditions 
by  removing  the  present  Broadway  bridge  and  building  a  new 
double-deck  structure  on  the  site  of  the  present  Boston  k 
Maine  Railroad  bridge,  to  serve  for  both  highway  and  railroad. 

It  would  be  advantageous  to  have  but  one  drawbridge  over 
the  lock  at  Lawrence,  and  by  means  of  this  new  combination 
bridge  the  existing  grade  crossing  and  attendant  dangerous 
conditions  could  be  eliminated. 

Other  bridge  changes  would  be  of  minor  importance,  com¬ 
paratively,  and  would  include  the  rebuilding  of  a  portion  of  the 
present  bridge,  known  as  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  bridge, 
with  a  drawr  therein;  also  the  rebuilding  of  Union  Street  bridge 


92 


MERRIMAC  RIVER 


[Jan. 


with  a  draw,  the  passageway  for  water  craft  through  each 
bridge  to  be  not  less  than  50  feet  wide. 

The  studies  made  by  the  consulting  engineer  have  included 
one  concerning  a  power  plant  which  might  be  installed  to  de¬ 
velop  power  necessary  for  operating  the  locks  at  Ward  Hill 
and  Lawrence,  to  light  the  canals  and  the  navigable  river 
channels.  It  would  be  possible  to  pump  back,  over  the  Law¬ 
rence  dam,  an  amount  of  water  equal  to  that  used  in  lockages 
to  fully  compensate  the  owners  of  the  power  rights,  although 
further  investigation  and  consideration  of  this  subject  may 
show  that  such  a  project  would  be  inadvisable. 

The  engineers’  reports,  with  estimates  in  detail,  are  printed  in 
the  appendix  to  the  Board’s  report,  and,  with  the  maps  and 
plans  which  have  been  prepared,  are  referred  to  as  showing 
existing  conditions  and  the  projected  improvements. 

Conclusions  and  Recommendations. 

The  recommendations  and  other  matters  contained  in  the 
report  of  Col.  Frederic  V.  Abbot,  which  has  been  largely 
quoted  in  the  report  of  this  Board,  and  which  provide  for 
certain  co-operation  between  the  federal  government,  the  State 
and  the  municipalities,  are  as  follows: — : 

(1)  Newburyport  as  Upper  Limit  of  Improvement  for  17  Feet  Draft. 

Assuming  that  a  survey  does  not  develop  excessive  rock  areas, 
it  would  seem  that  this  work  would  be  so  comparatively  inex¬ 
pensive  that  it  can  be  reported  as  being  worthy  of  being  done 
by  the  United  States,  on  condition  that  the  State  or  municipal¬ 
ity  expend  an  equal  sum  in  deepening  the  water  between  the 
channel  and  the  wharves,  and  in  providing  a  suitable  public 
terminal  open  to  all  water  carriers  on  equal  terms,  and  con¬ 
nected  with  the  railroad  for  interchange  of  water-borne  and  rail¬ 
road-borne  traffic. 

(2)  Haverhill  as  Upper  Limit  of  Improvement  for  17  Feet  Draft . 

No  17-foot  dredged  channel  can  probably  be  provided  to 
Haverhill  for  less  than  $1,600,000.  .  .  .  This  plainly  indicates 
that  State  or  municipal  co-operation  must  be  a  condition  prec¬ 
edent  to  any  work  by  the  United  States.  .  .  . 

It  would  then  seem  not  unreasonable  to  assume  that  if  the 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


93 


State  would  guarantee  maintenance  of  17-feet  draft  to  Haverhill 
at  mean  low  water,  and  would  contribute  half  the  cost  of  original 
improvement,  the  United  States  might  be  justified  in  putting 
not  to  exceed  $S00,000  into  a  17-foot  draft  channel  to 
Haverhill,  if  a  survey  should  indicate  that  such  a  channel  could 
be  provided  for  $1,600,000.  .  .  . 

The  above  is  sufficient  to  show  that  without  a  full  and  com¬ 
plete  survey  and  borings  in  the  bed  of  the  river  from  the  mouth 
up,  no  fair  report  on  the  worthiness  or  unworthiness  of  a  channel 
permitting  vessels  drawing  17  feet  to  reach  Haverhill  can  be 
made. 

(3)  Lawrence  as  Upper  Limit  of  Improvement  for  17  Feet  Draft. 

The  cost  of  carrying  17  feet  navigation  above  Haverhill  into 
the  Lawrence  pool  cannot  well  be  less,  and  is  almost  certainly 
greater,  than  the  cost  to  Haverhill,  the  head  of  tidal  navigation, 
'if  a  17-foot  open  channel  be  dredged  to  that  point.  It  would 
seem  that  if  17  feet  is  to  be  given  above  Haverhill  it  should  be 
done  by  the  State,  which  now,  under  State  charters,  has  full 
control  of  the  water-power  situation.  Such  a  co-operation  on  the 
part  of  the  State  or  municipalities  would  be  equivalent  in  effect 
to  contributing  at  least  half  the  cost  of  making  Lowell  and 
Lawrence  seaports,  and  would  probably  justify  the  United  States 
in  doing  the  work  up  to  Haverhill,  or  perhaps  to  1  mile  above 
Haverhill,  where  the  State  canal  south  of  Ward  Hill  would  enter 
the  river.  .  .  . 

With  a  pledge  from  the  State  to  complete  a  17-foot  draft  canal 
from  the  Merrimac  River  1  mile  above  Haverhill  into  the  pool 
above  the  Lawrence  dam,  and  to  operate  the  same  free  of  tolls 
forever,  it  would  then  seem  that  the  project  of  giving  17-feet 
draft  to  Haverhill  at  the  cost  of  the  United  States  might  be  a 
worthy  one  to  be  undertaken  by  the  United  States  if  a  survey 
does  not  show  too  great  cost.  .  .  . 

The  possibilities  seem  so  great  that  I  report  without  hesita¬ 
tion  that  the  river  is  worthy  of  the  cost  of  such  a  survey  up  to 
Ward  Hill  about  a  mile  above  Haverhill.  Above  that  point  the 
surveys  should  be  at  State  expense,  as  they  are  to  do  the  work 
if  the  above  recommendations  are  adopted  by  Congress. 

CONCLUSIONS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS  OF  THE  MERRI¬ 
MAC  VALLEY  WATERWAY  BOARD. 

A  summary  of  the  statistical  information  collected  by  this 
Board  shows  the  following  facts  concerning  the  cities  and  towns 
along  the  Merrimac  River  in  Massachusetts:  — 


94 


ME  R  RIM  AC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Total  population, . 

Total  value  of  assessed  estates,  April  1,  1913, 

Total  number  of  establishments, . 

Total  capital  invested,  ) . 

This  represents  about  53.1  per  cent,  of  the  capital  in¬ 
vested  in  metropolitan  Boston  (including  Boston  and 
39  other  cities  and  towns),  and  about  14.4  per  cent,  of 
that  invested  in  the  whole  State. 

Total  value  of  stock  and  material  used,  .... 

This  represents  about  36.5  per  cent,  of  that  of  metro¬ 
politan  Boston,  and  about  12.6  per  cent,  of  that  of 
the  whole  State. 

Total  amount  of  wages  paid  during  the  year, 

Total  number  of  wage  earners  employed  during  year, 

Total  value  of  product, . 

This  represents  about  36.1  per  cent,  of  the  total  value  of 
product  of  metropolitan  Boston,  and  about  12.4  per 
cent,  of  that  of  the  whole  State. 

The  total  coal  consumption  of  these  cities  and  towns  exceeds 
1,200,000  tons,  only  about  135,000  tons  of  which  is  now  re¬ 
ceived  by  water.  In  the  opinion  of  the  manufacturers  along 
the  river  an  adequate  water  route  for  the  receipt  of  this  com¬ 
modity  would  effect  a  saving  in  freight  rates  of  from  50  cents 
to  $1  a  ton,  in  addition  to  the  saving  in  transportation  charges 
on  general  merchandise,  raw  material  and  manufactured 
product. 

The  estimated  total  cost  of  carrying  out  the  project  pre¬ 
pared  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board  for  improving 
the  river  from  Ward  Hill  to  Hunts  Falls  at  Lowell  is  $5,- 
443,600,  which  is  exclusive  of  land  damages  at  Ward  Hill; 
of  the  cost  of  removal  of  Broadway  bridge  at  Lawrence  and  the 
construction  of  a  new  bridge  at  that  point;  and  of  the  cost  of 
making  certain  changes  in  existing  bridges  between  Ward  Hill 
and  Broadway  bridge.  This  total  cost  would  be  reduced  about 
$226,800  if  the  width  of  the  proposed  channel  from  the  Law¬ 
rence  dam  to  Hunts  Falls  was  reduced  from  200  feet  to  100 
feet.  Assuming  the  estimated  cost  of  carrying  out  the  federal 
government  project  of  improvement  from  the  sea  to  Haverhill 
to  be  approximately  $1,600,000,  as  stated  in  the  report  of 
Colonel  Abbot,  the  total  cost  of  improving  the  Merrimac 
River  from  the  sea  to  Lowell  in  the  manner  and  to  the  extent 
shown  would  be  approximately  $7,043,600. 


307,540 

$262,710,204 

814 

$188,152,336 


$116,870,360 


$42,004,459 

85,069 

$196,595,077 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


95 


The  large  expenditure  necessary  for  improving  the  stretch  of 
river  between  Ward  Hill  and  the  Lawrence  dam  is  due  to 
several  factors,  including  the  character  of  the  material  which 
would  be  encountered  in  the  excavation,  largely  rock  and 
ledge;  a  canal  and  locks  at  Ward  Hill;  a  dam  in  the  vicinity 
of  Kimball’s  Island  designed  to  form  a  pool  above  the  same, 
and  thus  minimize  the  amount  of  expensive  excavation  and 
dredging  required  to  obtain  18  feet  of  water  without,  however, 
injuriously  affecting  the  existing  valuable  water-power  privi¬ 
leges  at  Lawrence;  and  a  canal  and  locks  for  passing  the  Law¬ 
rence  dam,  necessitating  a  curtailment  of  its  present  length,  and 
its  future  extension  to  the  south  as  a  compensatory  provision. 

Above  the  Lawrence  dam  the  survey  does  not  disclose  con¬ 
ditions  which  would  call  for  the  payment  of  a  large  amount  per 
cubic  yard  for  dredging  to  obtain  a  depth  of  18  feet,  but  as  the 
section  of  river  to  be  improved  is  about  8.8  miles  in  length,  the 
estimate  of  cost  for  a  channel  200  feet  wide  amounts  to  approx¬ 
imately  $567,000,  and  for  a  channel  100  feet  wide,  approx¬ 
imately  $340,200. 

As  the  results  of  the  government  survey  now  in  progress,  and 
the  report  and  estimate  of  cost  by  the  United  States  engineers 
based  thereon,  will  not  be  a  matter  of  public  knowledge  for 
some  months,  the  Board  in  the  following  pages  has  set  forth 
a  suggested  line  of  procedure  which  in  its  opinion  should  be 
carried  out  to  show  the  Commonwealth’s  interest  and  willing¬ 
ness  to  aid  in  the  projected  improvement  of  this  river. 

The  conclusions  which  have  been  reached  by  the  Merrimac 
Valley  Waterway  Board,  and  the  recommendations  which  it 
makes,  —  after  full  consideration  of  all  phases  of  the  questions 
involved  in  the  investigations  entrusted  to  it,  and  having  in 
mind  the  large  amount  of  business  carried  on,  as  well  as  the 
large  saving  in  cost  of  transportation  and  the  resultant  benefit 
generally  to  this  section  of  the  Commonwealth  as  shown  by 
the  statistics  and  data  herein  set  forth,  —  are :  — 

(a)  That  the  Merrimac  River  should  be  improved  and 
opened  to  navigation  by  providing  a  channel  18  feet  deep  at 
mean  low  water  extending  from  the  sea  to  Ward  Hill,  about 
1  mile  above  Haverhill,  and  by  providing  a  depth  of  18  feet  by 
means  of  a  channel  and  by  building  canals  and  locks  from  Ward 
Hill  to  Hunts  Falls  at  Lowell. 


96 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


(b)  That  the  federal  government  carry  into  effect  a  project 
providing  for  a  channel  18  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water,  from 
the  sea  to  Ward  Hill,  about  1  mile  above  Haverhill,  and  that 
the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  co-operate  with  the 
federal  government  in  carrying  such  project  into  effect,  the 
basis,  form  and  method  of  co-operation  to  be  agreed  upon  after 
all  facts  and  data  have  been  obtained. 

(c)  That  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  adopt  and 
carry  into  effect  the  project  prepared  by  the  Merrimac  Valley 
Waterway  Board  for  the  improvement  of  the  Merrimac  River 
from  Ward  Hill,  about  1  mile  above  Haverhill,  to  Hunts 
Falls,  at  Lowell,  substantially  as  outlined  in  this  report,  namely, 
by  excavating  a  channel  of  adequate  width  and  18  feet  deep 
in  the  river,  and  by  building  locks  and  canals  to  provide  a 
depth  of  18  feet,  and  that  the  federal  government  co-operate 
with  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  in  carrying  such 
project  into  effect;  and  that  the  basis,  form  and  method  of 
co-operation  in  respect  to  the  State’s  project  be  agreed  upon 
at  the  same  time  as  agreed  upon  in  respect  to  the  federal 
government’s  project  for  improvement  of  the  river  as  far  as 
Ward  Hill. 

(d)  That  work  under  projects  for  improvement  of  the 
Merrimac  River  from  the  sea  to  Hunts  Falls  at  Lowell  be 
carried  on  progressively,  upstream  and  in  such  manner  and 
at  such  times  as  will  ensure  the  earliest  possible  completion  of 
the  projected  channel  as  far  as  Lowell. 

(e)  That  the  Board  of  Harbor  and  Land  Commissioners  be 
given  charge  and  jurisdiction  over  that  part  of  the  Merrimac 
River  which  is  not  tidal,  substantially  to  the  same  extent  as 
that  Board’s  powers  and  duties  now  apply  to  tidewaters;  that 
said  Board  be  authorized  to  continue  the  investigation  thus 
far  made  by  the  Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  particularly 
with  reference  to  that  part  of  the  river  from  Hunts  Falls  to 
the  State  line,  and  the  location  of  terminals,  and  to  act  in 
conjunction  with  the  cities  and  towns  in  the  Merrimac  valley 
in  the  furtherance  of  such  plans  and  projects  for  improving 
this  river  as  it  may  deem  worthy,  and  to  have  charge  of  and 
supervise  all  works  of  improvement. 

(/)  That  the  Legislature  memorialize  Congress  to  take  early 


1914.] 


HOUSE  —  No.  2169. 


97 


and  favorable  action  looking  to  the  improvement  of  the  Merri- 
mac  River,  and  its  opening  to  navigation  from  the  sea  to 
Lowell,  and  urging  that  appropriations  be  made  to  carry  out 
the  necessary  work  in  co-operation  with  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts. 

(g)  That  an  appropriation  of  $1,000,000  be  made  by  the 
Legislature  for  the  purpose  of  improving  the  Merrimac  River, 
and  as  evidence  of  agreement  by  the  Commonwealth  to  a 
policy  of  co-operation  with  the  federal  government  with  re¬ 
spect  thereto,  the  expenditure  of  this  appropriation  to  be 
conditioned  upon  the  passage  by  Congress  of  appropriations 
for  the  same  purpose. 

The  foregoing  report  is  respectfully  submitted. 

CHARLES  C.  PAINE,  Chairman, 
ANDREW  B.  SUTHERLAND, 
LEWIS  R.  HOVEY, 

Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board. 


Jan.  9,  1914. 


'  \  % 


' 


-• 

•  - 


- 


* 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


REPORT  OF  GEORGE  W.  WOOD,  ENGINEER. 

Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  Room  131,  State  House,  Boston,  Mass. 

Gentlemen:  —  I  respectfully  submit,  the  following  report  on 
survey  of  the  Merrimac  River  from  Mitchells  Lower  Falls  at 
Ward  Hill  to  Hunts  Falls,  about  1  mile  below  Lowell,  made 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  necessary  data  for  determining 
the  most  desirable  route  for  a  navigable  channel  along  that  por¬ 
tion  of  the  river,  and  an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  same. 

In  compliance  with  your  instructions  I  conferred  with  Col. 
Frederic  V.  Abbot,  Corps  of  Engineers,  Li.  S.  A.,  at  his  office, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  his  views,  as  he  had  been  ordered 
by  the  Department  at  Washington  to  make  a  report  on  matters 
concerning  the  Merrimac  River 

I  was  informed  that  in  order  to  make  a  comprehensive  report 
he  desired  to  consider  the  merits  of  a  canal  leading  from  the 
pool  above  the  Lawrence  dam,  overland,  along  the  south  side 
of  the  river  and  entering  the  river  again  just  below  Ward  Hill, 
but  that  he  lacked  the  necessary  data,  and  no  funds  were  avail¬ 
able  for  making  a  survey.  I  was  instructed  by  you  to  furnish 
the  information  desired,  and  accordingly  a  survey  was  made  and 
plans  covering  this  section  were  delivered  to  Colonel  Abbot. 

A  study  of  this  scheme  was  made  for  your  information. 

One  line  was  considered  lying  entirely  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad,  entering  the  river  just  below  the 
Ward  Hill  “cut;”  another  starting  from  the  same  point  above 
the  dam  and  crossing  the  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Shawsheen  River,  thence  following  along  the  right 
bank  of  the  Merrimac  River  to  the  Ward  Hill  railroad  cut,  oc¬ 
cupying  the  cut  and  entering  the  river  just  below;  this  line 
would  necessitate  the  relocation  of  tracks  in  the  cut. 

A  valuation  of  the  property  to  be  taken  along  both  routes 
has  been  obtained  and  a  study  of  the  physical  difficulties  has 
been  made. 


102 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


On  account  of  the  large  cost  of  land  damages,  the  cost  of 
building  bridges  at  the  various  streets  in  South  Lawrence  and 
North  Andover,  relaying  of  sewers,  water  mains,  electric  car 
and  steam  car  tracks,  and  on  account  of  the  large  amount  of 
water  which  would  be  required  to  operate  the  canal,  and  es¬ 
pecially  as  such  a  route  would  not  best  serve  the  business  inter¬ 
ests  of  Lawrence,  for  which  navigation  of  the  Merrimac  River 
was  desired,  it  was  thought  best  to  abandon  the  overland  project 
and  confine  all  efforts  to  a  study  and  an  investigation  of  deepen¬ 
ing  the  river  bed  from  the  Lawrence  dam  to  Ward  Hill;  thence 
by  a  canal  across  Ward  Hill  to  the  river  below. 

Through  the  kindness  of  the  Essex  Company  a  large  expense 
was  saved  by  allowing  free  access  to  all  their  data  pertaining  to 
the  matter,  and  accordingly  assistants  were  employed  in  making 
tracings  of  their  surveys  and  plans,  and  collecting  all  other  in¬ 
formation  relative  to  the  work  in  hand. 

It  was  also  necessary  to  do  considerable  field  work  in  extend¬ 
ing  surveys  outside  of  the  data  furnished  by  the  Essex  Company, 
and  a  thorough  development  of  conditions  at  Ward  Hill  and  the 
river  below  was  made,  also  for  several  miles  at  and  below  Hunts 
Falls. 

Colonel  Abbot,  in  his  report  dated  March  29,  1913,  recom¬ 
mended  that  a  channel  be  created  200  feet  wide  and  18  feet 
deep,  suitably  widened  at  the  bends.  After  careful  considera¬ 
tion  by  your  Board,  it  was  decided  that  these  dimensions  would 
meet  all  requirements,  and  plans  and  estimates  have  been  made 
accordingly,  i.e.,  for  a  channel  200  feet  wide  and  18  feet  deep 
from  Hunts  Falls  to  Ward  Hill,  and  for  a  canal  100  feet  wide 
across  Ward  Hill. 

Above  Lawrence  Dam. 

The  elevation  at  the  crest  of  the  dam  is  34.12  feet  above  the 
Essex  Company’s  reference  plan,  but  during  a  large  portion  of 
the  year  dashboards  raise  the  height  of  the  pool  to  approxi¬ 
mately  39  feet.  On  investigation  it  was  found  that  the  eleva¬ 
tion  of  the  water  was  seldom  below  elevation  36,  consequently 
this  elevation  was  considered  to  be  a  safe  one  on  which  to  base 
an  estimate  for  an  18-foot  channel. 

The  distance  from  the  dam  to  the  upper  end  of  a  proposed 
turning  basin  at  Hunts  Falls  is  approximately  46,540  feet,  or 
8.8  miles;  for  nearly  3  miles  of  this  distance  very  little  dredging 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


103 


will  have  to  be  done,  the  deepest  cutting  being  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  channel  just  below  the  falls,  where  more  or  less 
bowlders  will  be  encountered  and  several  areas  of  hard  clay  and 
gravel.  Borings  taken  over  the  entire  distance  at  intervals 
averaging  400  to  500  feet  apart,  or  sufficiently  close  to  show 
any  change  in  the  material,  did  not  indicate  that  ledge  rock 
would  be  encountered  above  an  elevation  of  +18,  but  that  a 
large  portion  of  the  material  could  be  easily  handled,  so  that  a 
unit  cost  of  35  cents  per  cubic  yard  for  the  total  excavation 
would  be  a  reasonable  price.  It  is  estimated  that  1,620,000 
cubic  yards  of  material  will  have  to  be  removed,  including  turn 
ing  basin  at  Hunts  Falls,  making  the  total  cost  $567,000. 

Below  Lawrence  Dam. 

The  distance  from  the  lower  end  of  the  proposed  lock  at  the 
dam  to  the  entrance  of  the  canal  at  Ward  Hill  is  approximately 
29,920  feet,  or  5.7  miles. 

Borings  were  taken  over  this  stretch  from  400  to  500  feet 
apart  where  the  material  continued  to  be  of  about  the  same 
character,  but  where  any  change  was  found  they  were  made  at 
more  frequent  intervals.  At  the  upper  end  many  bowlders  were 
encountered,  but  the  surrounding  material  was  of  such  character 
that  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  remove  them.  Farther  down 
the  river  ledge  rock  wras  found  at  several  places. 

In  order  to  be  able  to  permanently  maintain  a  depth  of  18  feet 
of  water  in  the  channel,  it  was  found  that  it  would  be  necessary 
to  place  an  obstruction,  such  as  a  movable  dam,  in  the  river  at 
some  point  below  the  entrance  of  the  proposed  canal. 

The  dam  could  only  be  built  to  such  a  height  as  would  not 
back  up  slack  water  at  the  lower  locks  to  an  elevation  that 
would  interfere  with  the  power;  this  elevation  was  assumed  to 
be  +3.7;  consequently,  this  fixed  the  depth  to  which  the  exca¬ 
vation  must  be  carried  in  order  to  obtain  an  18-foot  channel,  or, 
in  other  words,  to  elevation  — 14.3.  In  addition  to  this,  1  foot 
has  been  allowed  in  the  estimate  for  overdepth  dredging. 

This  makes  the  total  estimate  of  material  from  the  lower  end 
of  the  lock  at  the  Lawrence  dam  to  the  entrance  of  the  canal  at 
Ward  Hill  to  be  3,311,000  cubic  yards,  of  which  40,000  cubic 
yards  is  estimated  to  be  ledge  excavation. 

The  borings  indicated  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  material 
would  not  be  difficult  to  excavate,  and  that  the  cost  would  not 
exceed  45  cents  per  cubic  yard. 


104 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


3,271,000  cubic  yards  of  earth  at  45  cents,  ....  $1,471,950 
40,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  at  $7, .  280,000 

Making  the  total  cost  of  this  portion  of  the  work,  .  .  .  $1,751,950 

Ward  Hill  Canal. 

It  is  proposed  to  leave  the  bed  of  the  river  near  the  head  of 
Kimball’s  Island  and  follow  the  depression  across  Ward  Hill 
point,  entering  the  river  again  about  50  feet  below  the  mouth 
of  a  brook.  The  center  line  of  the  proposed  canal  was  laid  out 
on  the  ground,  and  the  necessary  levels  taken  to  determine  the 
amount  of  excavation.  On  a  plan  submitted  showing  this  route, 
there  is  a  broken  line  indicating  a  slight  change  in  direction, 
which  will  slightly  decrease  the  amount  of  material  to  be  re¬ 
moved. 

The  difference  in  elevation  of  the  water  surface  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  canal  and  that  of  the  river  at  the  entrance  will  necessi¬ 
tate  the  construction  of  a  lock.  Assuming  the  elevation  of  the 
water  surface  to  be  +3.7,  as  fixed  by  the  dam  in  the  river  below 
Kimball’s  Island,  and  the  elevation  of  mean  low  water  at  the 
entrance  of  the  canal,  where  it  is  affected  by  the  tide,  to  be  —  4.8, 
the  difference  is  8.5  feet;  but  as  only  a  few  observations  were 
made  this  difference  may  vary  a  foot  or  more;  probably  the 
difference  is  about  9  feet.  In  order  to  accurately  determine 
mean  low  water  at  this  point,  a  long  series  of  observations  should 

be  made. 

\ 

It  is  assumed  that  a  canal  100  feet  wide  would  meet  all  re¬ 
quirements  and  the  estimate  has  been  made  on  that  basis.  The 
distance  across  Ward  Hill  from  river  to  river  is  4,255  feet. 

Borings,  twenty-seven  in  number,  have  been  made  along  and 
near  the  center  line,  at  such  intervals  as  would  give  a  fairly 
good  indication  of  the  material.  Ledge  rock  was  found  much 
nearer  the  surface  than  was  anticipated,  and  nearly  every  boring- 
struck  rock  at  an  elevation  considerably  above  the  bottom  of  the 
canal  ( — 14.3).  The  average  cut  is  approximately  28.5  feet,  for 
a  distance  of  3,585  feet. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  384,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  ex¬ 
cavation  from  the  entrance  at  Kimball’s  Island  to  the  lock,  in¬ 
cluding  0.5  feet  for  overdepth,  and  the  cost  of  removing  the  same 
would  be  $1.20  per  yard,  making  a  total  of  $460,800,  —  but  on 
account  of  the  large  quantity,  small  risk  of  damage  to  property 
from  blasting  and  easy  disposal  of  material,  this  cost  might  be 

considerablv  reduced. 

*/ 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


105 


The  amount  of  earth  excavation  covering  the  same  distance 
and  width,  with  side  slopes  of  2  on  1,  not  allowing  for  berms, 
is  estimated  to  be  225,000  cubic  yards.  The  larger  part  of  this 
material,  being  of  a  sandy  nature,  could  be  handled  easily,  and 
it  is  estimated  that  the  cost  would  be  25  cents  per  cubic  yard, 
making  a  total  of  $56,250,  or  a  grand  total,  for  canal,  of  $517,050. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  do  more  or  less  paving  where  thle  edge 
does  not  extend  above  the  water  surface,  to  protect  the  slopes 
from  the  wash  of  passing  boats,  but  this  cost  would  probably 
not  exceed  $2,000. 

No  estimate  is  given  of  excavation  chargeable  to  the  cost  of 
locks  and  dam,  as  it  has  been  included  in  the  report  of  the  con¬ 
sulting  engineer,  nor  for  that  below  the  entrance  of  the  lock  at 
Ward  Hill,  as  it  is  assumed  that  the  United  States  government 
will  provide  a  channel  to  that  point. 

On  account  of  insufficient  data  it  is  not  possible  at  the  present 
time  to  make  a  reliable  estimate  of  the  cost  of  maintaining  a 
depth  of  18  feet  in  the  channel. 


Summary. 

Distance  from  turning  basin  at  Hunts  Falls  to  Lawrence  dam,  8 . 8  miles 


Distance  from  dam  to  entrance  of  canal, . 5.7  miles 

Distance  across  Ward  Hill  Canal,  river  to  river,  .  .  .  .8  miles 


Total  distance  covered  by  work, . 15.3  miles 

Total  number  borings  in  river  channel, .  151 

Total  linear  feet  (successful  borings)  in  river,  ....  1,338 

Total  number  borings  across  Ward  Hill, .  27 

Total  linear  feet  across  Ward  Hill, .  315 

Total  linear  feet  of  borings, .  1,653 


Excavation. 

Above  Lawrence  dam :  — 

Channel  and  turning  basin,  1,620,000  cubic  yards  at  35  cents,  $567,000 
Below  Lawrence  dam :  — 

To  entrance  canal,  earth,  3,271,000  cubic 

yards  at  45  cents, . $1,471,950 

To  entrance  canal,  rock,  40,000  cubic  yards 

at  $7, .  280,000 

-  1,751,950 


f 


106 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Canal  to  lock,  rock,  384,000  cubic  yards  at  $1 .20,  $460,800 

Canal  to  lock,  earth,  225,000  cubic  yards,  at  25 

cents, .  56,250 

-  $517,050 

Paving  slopes, .  2,000 


$2,838,000 

Engineering  and  contingencies,  at  20  per  cent.,  .  .  .  567,600 


Total, . $3,405,600 

Very  respectfully, 

GEO.  W.  WOOD, 

Engineer. 

Dec.  1,  1913. 


1/ 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


107 


REPORT  OF  EDWARD  C.  SHERMAN,  CONSULTING  EN¬ 
GINEER. 

Merrimac  Valley  Waterway  Board,  State  House,  Boston,  Mass. 

Gentlemen:  —  In  accordance  with  your  instructions  I  have 
made  designs  for  the  structures  which  would  be  required  by  a 
project  to  create  a  navigable  channel  in  the  Merrimac  River  from 
Lowell  to  tidewater  near  Ward  Hill,  and  I  have  the  honor  to 
submit  the  following  report  on  their  purposes  and  probable  costs. 


General  Description. 

The  project  for  which  the  structures  described  herein  are  de¬ 
signed  is  based  on  the  assumption  that  the  Merrimac  River  is  to 
be  made  navigable  from  the  sea  to  a  point  opposite  Ward  Hill, 
by  providing  a  channel  18  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water,  under 
such  plan  of  development  as  may  be  adopted  by  Congress  and 
carried  out  by  the  War  Department,  and  that  the  Commonwealth 
of  Massachusetts  is  to  prepare  a  project  for  a  channel  18  feet 
deep  from  the  point  opposite  Ward  Hill  to  Lowell. 

The  proposed  project  would  involve  the  construction  of  chan¬ 
nels,  locks  and  dams  as  follows:  — 

A  channel  would  be  dredged  in  the  river  from  a  point  near 
Lowell  to  the  dam  at  Lawrence  to  give  a  depth  of  18  feet  below 
the  low-water  level  of  the  pool  formed  by  the  dam.  At  Lawrence 
/  a  lock  would  be  provided  so  that  vessels  could  be  passed  by  the 
dam  into  another  channel  not  less  than  18  feet  deep,  which  would 
follow  the  river  to  a  point  just  above  Kimball’s  Island,  where  it 
would  enter  the  proposed  Ward  Hill  canal,  a  direct  cut-off 
around  Mitchells  Falls  to  the  channel,  which,  it  is  assumed,  the 
United  States  will  provide  in  the  tidal  section  of  the  river. 

Just  below  Kimball’s  Island  a  dam  would  be  constructed  to 
hold  back  the  water  and  form  a  pool  at  the  highest  level  possible 
without  interfering  with  the  flow  from  the  water  wheels  at  Law¬ 
rence,  so  as  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the  amount  of  excavation 
necessary  for  the  channel. 


108 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


The  surface  of  this  pool  would  always  be  several  feet  higher 
than  the  water  surface  in  the  river  below  Mitchells  Falls.  Con¬ 
sequently,  a  lock  would  be  provided  at  the  north  end  of  the  Ward 
Hill  canal  by  which  vessels  would  pass  from  one  level  to  the 
other. 


Dimensions  of  Locks. 

As  you  have  determined  on  18  feet  as  the  depth  of  the  pro¬ 
posed  navigable  channel,  the  dimensions  which  I  have  adopted 
for  the  locks  are  fixed  by  the  lengths  and  widths  of  such  vessels 
as  can  navigate  in  a  channel  of  that  depth. 

A  careful  study  has  been  made  of  lists  giving  the  dimensions 
of  all  vessels  navigating  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  it  appears  that, 
while  the  great  majority  of  those  which  may  be  expected  to  use 
the  river  are  from  140  to  190  feet  long,  and  seldom  more  than 
36  feet  wide,  there  are  nevertheless  a  very  considerable  and  in¬ 
creasing  number  of  coasting  vessels  of  from  15  feet  to  17.5  feet 
draft,  which  are  about  250  feet  long  and  up  to  about  43  feet 
wide. 

In  designing  the  locks  additional  allowance  must  be  made  for 
a  towboat,  since  only  a  part  of  those  vessels  could  navigate  a 
comparatively  narrow  and  crooked  channel  under  their  own 

power.  The  proper  lock  dimensions  have  consequently  been 

determined  to  be  as  follows:  — 

Feet 

Usable  length, . 350 

Width, . 45 

Depth  at  gate  sill, . 18 


Lock  and  Changes  in  Dam  and  in  Bridges  at  Lawrence. 

Loch. 

The  entire  difference  between  the  water  levels  at  Lawrence 
can  best  be  overcome  by  one  lock  having  a  lift  of  about  35  feet 
at  normal  stages  of  the  river.  It  would  be  located  along  the 
northerly  bank  of  the  river,  as  shown  on  sheet  No.  1  of  the  plans 
accompanying  this  report. 

The  lock  gates  would  be  of  the  mitering,  girder  type,  built  of 
steel  and  having  oak  quoin  and  meeting  posts.  The  upper  gates 
would  be  27  feet  high  and  the  intermediate  and  lower  gates 
about  59  feet  high.  It  is  proposed  to  operate  them  by  the 
method  which  has  been  adopted  on  the  Panama  Canal,  that  is, 
by  means  of  a  strut,  one  end  of  which  is  attached  to  the  gate, 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


109 


the  other  to  the  rim  of  a  “bull-wheel”  contained  in  a  chamber 
in  the  lock  wall  and  driven  by  an  electric  motor. 

The  filling  culverts,  one  in  each  side  wall,  would  run  the  entire 
length  of  the  lock,  filling  and  emptying  the  lock  chamber  being 
accomplished  through  ports  near  the  lock  floor.  The  flow  in  the 
culverts  would  be  controlled  by  sluice-gates  at  the  ends. 

In  order  to  avoid  the  danger  of  the  lower  lock-gates  being 
rammed  by  a  vessel,  a  heavy  steel  buffer  beam  is  proposed.  The 
presence  of  such  a  beam  would  require  a  vessel  to  stop  some  dis¬ 
tance  away  from  the  gates,  and  if  it  were  not  stopped  it  is  im¬ 
probable  that  after  destroying  the  buffer  it  would  retain  enough 
momentum  to  cause  serious  damage  to  the  gates. 

x\t  the  upper  end  of  the  lock  the  drawbridge  will  provide 
sufficient  protection  to  the  gates  and  the  buffer  beam  can  be 
omitted. 

The  possibility  exists  that,  in  spite  of  all  precautions,  an  acci¬ 
dent  may  happen  by  which  one  pair  of  gates  would  be  destroyed 
while  the  others  were  open,  permitting  an  unobstructed  flow  of 
water  through  the  lock  from  the  upper  to  the  lower  level.  It  is 
therefore  proposed  to  make  the  drawbridge  serve  as  an  “emer¬ 
gency  dam,”  the  lower  chords  forming  a  horizontal  truss  which 
could  support  the  upper  ends  of  steel  girders,  which,  lowered 
into  the  lock,  would  provide  supports  for  wickets  by  which  the 
flow  could  be  checked  without  emptying  the  pool  above  the  dam. 

Practically  the  entire  normal  flow  of  the  river  is  used  for  power 
purposes  at  Lawrence,  so  that  no  more  water  should  be  taken 
for  lockages  than  becomes  absolutely  necessary.  Consequently, 
although  the  total  usable  length  of  the  lock  would  be  350  feet, 
it  is  proposed  to  divide  that  length  into  two  chambers  about  110 
feet  and  240  feet  long  by  means  of  intermediate  gates,  so  that, 
for  any  vessel,  a  lock  chamber  of  suitable  length  may  be  pro¬ 
vided  and  unnecessary  waste  of  water  avoided. 

It  is  probable  that  a  large  part  of  the  traffic  will  be  vessels 
in  tow,  and  that  the  towboats,  after  delivering  them  at  their 
quays,  will  return  downstream  alone.  A  very  considerable  sav¬ 
ing  in  water  will  result  from  the  use  of  the  110-foot  chamber  by 
such  craft. 

The  proposed  Lawrence  lock  is  shown  in  detail  on  sheet  No.  2 
of  the  plans  accompanying  this  report. 


110 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Locks  for  Small  Boats. 

In  addition  to  the  commercial  traffic,  it  is  expected  that  a 
very  large  number  of  power  boats  and  other  small  craft  will 
use  the  improved  river.  As  it  is  not  desirable  that  even  the  110- 
foot  chamber  of  the  large  lock  be  used  for  such  boats  on  account 
of  the  need  of  conserving  the  water  supply,  it  is  proposed  to 
provide  a  flight  of  two  small  locks  adjacent  to  the  large  one. 
These  locks  would  be  about  50  feet  long,  10  feet  wide  and  5  feet 
deep  at  low  water. 


Water  Levels  at  Lawrence. 

The  difference  in  the  levels  of  the  pools  above  and  below  the 
Lawrence  dam  will  vary  somewhat  with  the  stage  of  the  river 
and  the  storage  conditions.  The  stone  crest  of  the  dam  is  at 
elevation  34.12,  but  the  water  is  ordinarily  held  several  feet 
higher  by  means  of  dashboards.  The  pool  seldom,  if  ever,  falls 
below  elevation  36.0,  nor  has  it  ever  been  higher  than  elevation 
44.0.  The  ordinary  water  level  may  be  assumed  to  be  at  about 
elevation  39.0. 

With  these  data  the  upper  approach  wall  and  the  lock  walls 
are  fixed  at  elevation  45.0,  so  that  they  may  never  be  overtopped 
by  the  water,  and  the  upper  sill  is  fixed  at  18  feet  below  eleva¬ 
tion  36.0,  at  elevation  18.0. 

The  proper  elevation  for  the  lower  sill  of  the  Lawrence  lock 
is  a  problem  which  can  be  accurately  determined  only  by  more 
complete  study  than  is  justified  by  the  purposes  of  this  report. 

It  is  not  permissible  that  the  pool  level  be  higher  than  eleva¬ 
tion  5.48  at  Lawrence  when  the  river  discharge  is  less  than  about 
4,000  cubic  feet  per  second  on  account  of  interference  with  the 
existing  power  interests.  Assuming  that  with  that  discharge 
the  slope  of  the  water  surface  to  Ward  Hill,  which  is  now  about 
9  inches  to  the  mile,  will  be  about  9  inches  in  the  whole  distance 
after  the  channel  is  improved  by  dredging,  the  water  surface  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  pool  would  be  at  about  elevation  4.7. 

If  the  discharge  of  4,000  cubic  feet  per  second  were  constant, 
a  fixed  masonry  dam  could  perhaps  be  built  at  Kimball's  Island 
to  create  a  pool  at  this  elevation,  but  as  the  water  must  not 
be  backed  up  at  Lawrence  for  any  given  discharge  to  a  height 
greater  than  obtains  at  present,  it  is  assumed  that  a  movable 
dam,  affording  complete  regulation  of  the  flow,  will  be  used. 

It  appears  that  when  the  mills  at  Lawrence  shut  down  on 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


Ill 


Saturday  afternoon,  and  are  closed  over  Sunday  and  sometimes 
over  Monday  when  a  holiday  happens  to  come  on  that  day,  the 
whole  discharge  of  the  stream  is  frequently  stored  at  the  Law¬ 
rence  dam,  and  the  flow  in  the  river  channel  is  almost  nothing. 
The  leakage  past  the  movable  dam  during  such  a  period  would 
be  considerable,  and  would  result  in  a  lowering  of  the  pool  level 
by  an  amount  which,  until  the  dam  is  designed,  is  indeterminate. 

Believing  that  the  lowering  might  amount  to  about  a  foot 
before  a  new  supply  would  begin  to  refill  the  pool,  it  has  been 
assumed  for  the  purposes  of  the  designs  that  low  water  would 
be  at  elevation  3.7.  Accordingly,  the  lower  sill  and  the  bottom 
of  the  lock  are  placed  at  elevation  — 14.3,  to  give  the  desired 
depth  of  18  feet. 


Changes  at  Lawrence  Dam. 

The  Lawrence  dam  has  a  length  on  its  crest  of  897  feet.  Al¬ 
though  it  is  proposed  to  extend  it  about  175  feet  at  the  south 
end,  the  total  length  would  be  reduced  to  about  875  feet  by  the 
construction  of  the  locks.  As  this  reduction  in  length  would 
cause  a  great  freshet,  equal  to  that  of  1896,  to  back  up  to  an 
additional  height  of  only  about  3  inches,  it  is  not  considered 
impracticable. 

The  changes  required  above  the  dam  would  be  slight,  and 
wmuld  consist  in  excavating  a  newr  entrance  to  the  north  powder 
canal  and  in  such  changes  at  the  south  power  canal  as  the  ex¬ 
tensions  of  the  dam  render  necessary. 

The  wraterway  below  the  dam  is  at  present  much  obstructed 
by  bridge  piers.  As  the  lock  will  further  restrict  the  available 
area,  it  is  proposed  to  excavate  a  channel  in  the  rock  of  sufficient 
cross-section  to  compensate  for  this  restriction,  and  further  to 
improve  the  conditions  by  removing  the  Broadway  bridge  en¬ 
tirely,  placing  the  highway  on  a  new,  double-deck  structure  on 
the  site  of  the  present  Boston  &  Maine  Railroad  bridge,  which 
wrould  serve  for  both  highwray  and  railroad.  This  arrangement 
offers  the  great  advantage  of  requiring  but  one  drawbridge  over 
the  lock,  and  incidentally  affords  an  excellent  opportunity  to  elim¬ 
inate  the  dangerous  grade  crossing  which  now  exists  near  the 
north  end  of  the  bridge. 

The  changes  wrhich  w'ould  be  required  in  the  other  bridges  are 
minor  ones,  and  consist  principally  in  the  introduction  of  suit¬ 
able  bascule  drawbridges. 


112 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


i 

Cost. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  cost  of  the  work  at  Lawrence,  ex¬ 
clusive  of  such  excavation  as  is  chargeable  to  ship  channels  in 
the  river,  of  the  removal  of  the  Broadway  bridge,  of  the  pro¬ 
posed  new  combination  bridge  and  the  changes  in  the  other 
bridges,  will  be  about  $921,000. 

The  details  of  this  estimate  are  given  in  an  appendix  to  this 
report. 

Locks  and  Power  Plant  at  Ward  Hill. 

Ship  Lock. 

The  proposed  Ward  Hill  canal  has  been  laid  out  to  take  ad¬ 
vantage  of  the  topography  of  the  country  through  which  it 
passes,  and  its  direction  at  the  north  end  is  such  that  vessels 
must  make  a  turn  of  nearly  90  degrees  to  enter  the  river  channel. 
On  account  of  the  current  in  the  river,  this  turn  can  best  be 
made  in  a  basin  just  above  the  lock,  which,  to  avoid  heavy  ex¬ 
cavation,  is  placed  near  and  parallel  to  the  river  bank,  as  shown 
by  the  location  on  sheet  No.  3  of  the  plans  accompanying  this 
report. 

The  details  of  the  proposed  lock,  also  shown  on  sheet  No.  3, 
do  not  differ  materially  from  those  of  the  Lawrence  lock  pre¬ 
viously  described,  except  that  the  lift  is  made  to  fit  the  con¬ 
ditions  that  would  be  met.  The  intermediate  gates  are  omitted 
since  the  quantity  of  water  used  for  lockages  would  not  be  taken 
from  a  supply  intended  for  power,  and  the  time  lost  in  filling  a 
lock  chamber  longer  than  would  always  be  necessary  would  be 
little  on  account  of  the  low  lift. 

The  upper  sill  is  shown  placed  at  elevation  — 14.30,  which  is 
the  same  as  the  lower  sill  at  Lawrence,  and  the  lower  sill  and 
floor  of  the  lock  are  placed  at  elevation  — 22.80,  which  is  18  feet 
below  mean  low  tide  at  this  point.  The  lift  wall  would  there¬ 
fore  be  8.5  feet  high,  but  the  actual  lift  for  vessels  will  vary 
from  that  somewhat  with  the  different  stages  of  the  river  and 
of  the  tide. 

Small  Boat  Lock. 

Although  the  water  supply  would  permit  the  use  of  the  large 
lock  by  small  boats,  it  is  advis-able  to  consider  the  advantages 
of  a  separate  small  lock  for  such  craft  on  account  of  the  saving 
in  time.  Such  a  lock  is  shown  on  the  plan,  leading  from  the 
westerly  side  of  the  turning  basin  to  the  river. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


113 


Power  Plant. 

The  difference  in  level  between  the  Ward  Hill  canal  and  the 
river  near  the  proposed  lock  will  ordinarily  vary  from  about 
3.5  feet  to  about  10  feet,  depending  on  the  stages  of  the  river 
and  the  tide.  It  is  probable  that  an  average  difference  of  about 
7  feet  will  exist,  and  it  may  be  found  advantageous  to  install  a 
plant  to  develop  the  power  necessary  for  the  operation  of  the 
.  locks  at  Ward  Hill  and  at  Lawrence,  to  light  the  canal  and  the 
navigable  river  channels,  and  possibly  to  pump  back,  over  the 
dam  at  Lawrence,  an  amount  of  water  equal  to  that  used  there 
in  lockages  so  as  to  fully  compensate  the  owners  of  the  power 
rights. 

It  is  possible  that  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  quantity  of  water 
that  would  be  available  for  power  development  on  Sundays  and 
holidays  will  render  the  project  inadvisable. 

Owing  to  lack  of  time  this  matter  has  not  been  thoroughly 
studied,  but  the  possibility  of  power  development  should  receive 
consideration  in  any  actual  improvement. 

Cost. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  cost  of  the  work  at  Ward  Hill,  includ¬ 
ing  the  excavation  for  the  turning  basin  but  exclusive  of  cost 
of  site,  will  be  about  $807,000.  The  details  of  this  estimate  are 
given  in  an  appendix  to  this  report. 

Dam  near  Kimball’s  Island. 

As  explained  elsewhere  in  this  report,  it  is  important  that  the 
dam  which  forms  the  pool  from  Lawrence  to  Ward  Hill  be  con¬ 
structed  so  as  to  offer  little  obstruction  to  the  flood  flow  of  the 
stream,  since,  for  any  given  discharge,  the  water  cannot  be  per¬ 
mitted  to  back  up  to  a  higher  elevation  at  Lawrence  than  it 
does  now.  At  the  same  time  a  reasonably  tight  dam,  with  its 
crest  at  about  elevation  4.5,  should  be  available  during  times 
of  low  flow. 

There  are  a  number  of  types  of  movable  dam  which  have  been 
found  successful  in  practice.  The  simplest  type  consists  merely 
of  stop-planks  put  in  place  and  removed  as  required.  Sliding 
gates  were  evolved  from  stop-planks,  and  these  have  been  de¬ 
veloped  in  various  ways.  One  form,  known  as  “Stoney”  gates, 
has  been  built  to  close  openings  up  to  45  feet  wide. 

Owing  to  the  very  considerable  rise  of  the  river  in  time  of 


114 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


flood,  and  to  the  presence  of  ice  floes  in  the  spring,  the  most 
satisfactory  dam  would  be  one  of  those  which  fold  down  on  the 
bottom  of  the  stream.  It  must  be  easily  operated,  free  from 
complicated  mechanism,  and  so  strong  and  simple  that  ice  can¬ 
not  damage  it,  and  should  be  capable  of  being  lowered  rapidly 
without  chance  of  failure. 

As  the  various  forms  of  wicket  dams  which  would  satisfy 
these  conditions  are  not  easily  made  tight,  and  as  the  proposed 
pool  would  have  to  be  maintained  on  days  when  the  river  dis¬ 
charge  is  practically  nothing,  it  is  probable  that  a  dam  of  the 
bear-trap  type  would  best  serve  the  purpose. 

It  is  therefore  tentatively  proposed  to  construct  a  dam  across 
the  river  at  a  point  about  1,700  feet  below  the  lower  end  of 
Kimball’s  Island.  The  stream  is  about  400  feet  wide  at  that 
point,  and  the  proposed  dam  would  consist  of  four  bear-traps, 
each  about  90  feet  long,  set  between  permanent  masonry  end 
abutments  and  three  river  piers.  The  piers  would  also  provide 
supports  for  a  combination  highway  and  service  bridge. 

No  design  has  been  made  for  this  dam  as  it  would  require 
much  more  time  than  has  been  available,  but  from  sketches  it 
has  been  roughly  estimated  to  cost  about  $310,000. 


Conclusions. 

The  design  and  construction  of  the  dam  and  locks,  and  the 
changes  in  existing  structures  at  Lawrence,  which  would  be 
necessary  to  the  execution  of  your  project  for  making  the  Mer- 
rimac  River  navigable  from  Lowell  to  tidewater  near  Ward  Hill, 
would  involve  no  unusual  engineering  problems,  although  there 
are  many  points  which  would  require  careful  and  thorough  in¬ 
vestigation. 

It  is  believed  that  the  results  obtained  are  sufficiently  accurate 
for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  practicability  of  the  project. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

EDWARD  C.  SHERMAN, 

Consulting  Engineer. 


Nov.  19,  1913. 


1914.] 


HOUSE— No.  2169. 


115 


Appendix. 

The  details  of  the  estimate  of  cost  of  the  work  at  Lawrence 
are  tabulated  below:  — 


Excavation  for  canal  approaches,  20,000  cubic  yards  at  $0.40,  . 
Excavation  for  extension  of  dam,  52,500  cubic  yards  at  $0.75,  . 
Dry  excavation  in  rock,  below  dam,  for  channels,  20,300  cubic 

yards  at  $2.50, . 

Removal  of  part  Lawrence  dam  at  lock,  1,140  cubic  yards  at 

$1.75, . 

Dry  excavation  in  rock,  for  chamber  of  lock,  23,400  cubic  yards 

'  at  $2.50, . 

Approach  walls  at  ends  of  lock :  — 

Concrete,  6,400  cubic  yards  at  $7,  $44,800 

Riprap  (from  excavation),  1,480  cubic  yards 

at  $0.65, .  1,000 

Spruce  piles,  46,700  linear  feet  at  $0.22,  .  .  10,300 

Yellow  pine  pile  caps,  44  M.  feet  at  $100,  .  .  4,400 

Spruce  plank,  38  M.  feet  at  $90,  ....  3,400 


Wall  at  south  end  of  Lawrence  dam,  4,900  cubic  yards  at  $6.50, 
Coffer  dam,  south  end  Lawrence  dam,  340  linear  feet  at  $25, 
Round  piles,  at  $0.25  per  linear  foot. 

Wales,  at  $125  per  M.  feet. 

Sheet  piling,  at  $70  per  M.  feet. 

Steel  rods,  at  $0.10  per  pound. 

Filling,  at  $0.60  per  cubic  yard. 

Removing  structures  at  $6.67  per  linear  foot. 

Extension  of  Lawrence  dam,  2,800  cubic  j^ards  at  $7,  . 

Coffer  dam  around  lock:  — 

220  linear  feet  at  $43.50, .  $9,600 

110  linear  feet  at  $25, .  2,700 

880  linear  feet  at  $56, .  49,200 


$8,000 

39,400 

50,800 

2,000 

58,500 


63.900 

31.900 
8,500 


19,600 


61,500 


Round  piles,  at  $0.25  per  linear  foot. 

Wales,  submerged,  at  $120  per  M.  feet. 
Sheeting,  at  $80  per  M.  feet. 

Steel  rods,  submerged,  at  $0.10  per  pound. 
Steel  rods,  at  $0.06  per  pound. 

Filling,  at  $0.60  per  cubic  yard. 

Gravel  embankment,  at  $0.50  per  cubic  yard. 
Framed  lumber,  at  $90  per  M.  feet. 

Removal  at  $10  to  $14  per  linear  foot. 


116 


MERRIMAC  RIVER. 


[Jan. 


Lock  masonrv :  — 
Concrete :  — 


1:2£:5,  38,460  cubic  yards  at  $7.50, 

$288,500 

Cyclopean,  1,400  cubic  yards  at  $5, 

7,000 

Granolithic  surfacing,  2,320  square  yards  at 

$1.08, . 

2,500 

$298,000 

Lock  gates :  — 

Steel,  700,000  pounds  at  $0.05f, 

$38,500 

Other  materials, . 

6,500 

— 

45,000 

Metal  set  in  concrete :  — 

Cast  iron,  260,000  pounds  at  $0.04, 

$10,400 

Structural  steel,  12,000  pounds  at  $0.05, 

600 

Reinforcing  rods,  40,000  pounds  at  I0.03R  . 

1,400 

12,400 

Buffer  beam,  33,000  pounds  at  $0.04^, 

•  •  • 

1,500 

Wicket  girders  and  wickets,  130,000  pounds  at  $0.05, 

6,500 

Sluice-gates,  motors,  controllers,  installations,  at  about  $50 

per  square  foot  of  opening, 

• 

19,000 

Booms, . 

•  •  • 

2,000 

Steel  booms,  floats,  at  $0.04  per  pound. 

Chain  at  $0.04  per  pound. 

Concrete  anchors,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard. 

Timber  booms,  at  $0.15  per  linear  foot. 

Anchors,  at  $5  each. 

Operating  building, . 

8,000 

12-inch  pump,  motor  and  piping  for  pumping 

water  back 

above  dam, . 

•  •  • 

4,000 

Lock-gate  operating  machines,  6  at  $3,200  each,  say, 

19,000 

Electrical  equipment :  — 

Wiring,  .  • . 

$1,000 

Switchboard, . 

1,000 

2,000 

Small  boat  lock  equipment:  — 

Lock-gates, . 

$4,000 

Operating  machines  and  motors, 

2,000 

4 

6,000 

$767,500 

Engineering  and  contingencies,  20  per  cent.,  ....  153,500 


Engineering  and  contingencies,  20  per  cent.,  ....  153,500 

Total, . $921,000 


This  estimate  does  not  include  excavation  chargeable  to  chan¬ 
nel  in  river,  removal  of  Broadway  bridge  and  changes  in  other 
bridges. 


1914.] 


HOUSE  — No.  2169. 


117 


The  details  of  the  estimate  of  cost  of  the  turning  basin,  locks 
and  power  plant  at  Ward  Hill  are  tabulated  below:  — 

(a)  Turning  basin :  — 

Dry  earth  excavation,  80,000  cubic  yards  at  $0.50,  .  .  $40,000 

Dry  rock  excavation,  91,000  cubic  yards  at  $1.10,  .  .  •  100,000 

(b)  Locks:  — 

Dry  earth  excavation,  77,000  cubic  yards  at  $0.50,  .  .  38,500 

Wet  earth  excavation,  16,000  cubic  yards  at  $0.75,  .  .  12,000 

Dry  rock  excavation,  23,000  cubic  yards  at  $1.10,  .  .  25,000 

Wet  rock  excavation,  6,000  cubic  yards  at  $2.50,  .  .  15,000 

Cofferdam,  730  linear  feet  at  $40, .  29,200 

Concrete  masonry,  41,000  cubic  yards  at  $7.50,  .  .  308,000 

Granolithic  surfacing,  2,000  square  yards  at  $1,  .  .  2,000 

Lock-gates, .  20,000 

Lock-gate  operating  machine, . 12,800 

Sluice-gates  and  machinery, . 13,000 

Metal  to  be  set  in  concrete :  — 

Cast  iron,  130,000  pounds  at  $0.04,  ....  5,200 

Steel,  10,000  pounds  at  $0.05,  .....  500 

Buffer  beams,  66,000  pounds  at  $0.04§,  ....  3,000 

Operating  building, . 5,000 

24-inch  pump  and  motor, . 5,000 

Switchboard  and  wiring, . 2,000 

Equipment  for  small  lock, . 4,000 

(c)  Power  plant :  — 

Flume  excavation,  6,000  cubic  yards  at  $0.50,  .  .  3,000 

Concrete  masonry,  2,500  cubic  yards  at  $7.50,  .  .  18,800 

Superstructure, . 5,000 

Equipment, . 5,300 


$672,300 

Add  20  per  cent,  for  contingencies, .  134,700 


Total, 


.  $807,000 


* 


. 


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SECTION  E-E 


SECTION  F-F 


NOTE  : 


\ 


Elevations  are  referred  to  the  Essex  Co.  datum. 
For  location  see  Sheet  No.  1 


HELIOTYPE  CO.,  BOSTON 


COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 

MERRIMAC  •  VALLEY  •  WATERWAY  BOARD 

PLAN  AND  SECTIONS 

OF 

PROPOSED  LOCK  AT  LAWRENCE 


o  10  so  30  50 


too  Peer 


NOVEMBER  19,  1913 


EDWARD  C.  SHERMAN 
CONSULTING  ENGINEER 
6  BEACON  ST,  BOSTON 


6501.2/ 

Slreet  IVo.  2 


V. 


I  J 


W:  H 


s'  A 


.5  -+  *  f 


. 


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w,  ••;  • 


NOTE  : 

Usable 

Width 


SECTION  A  ^  A 


HEUOTYPE  CO.,  BOSTON 


SECTION  B-B 


COMMONWEALTH  of  MASSACHUSETTS 

MERRIMAC  •  VALLEY  •  WATERWAY  -  BOARD 

WARD  HILL  LOCK 


SECTION  C-C 


O  10  20  SO  *o  50 


ioo  rctT 


NOVEMBER  19 , 1913 


EDWARD  C.  SHERMAN 
CONSULTING  ENGINEER 
G  BEACON  ST.,  BOSTON 


Sheet  ?4o.  3 


HELIOTYPE  CO.,  BOSTON 


. 


,T  H  i  M 1/ ,  ,3*.  'CO  •  3  TAT  '  33TI  U  /'  ' 


■  '  ■ 


.  ::  . 


■■  '  ,  -  c 

. 


•  ■ 


■ 


MERRIMAC  RIVER 


IN  MASSACHUSETTS 


PREPARED  UNDER  DIRECTION  OF  THE 

MERRIMAC  VALLEY  WATERWAY  BOARD 

ESTABLISHED  BY  CHAPTER  708  ACTS  OF  1912 


COMPILED  FROM  SURVEYS  BY  TH  E  M  ERR  I  MAC  VALLEY  WATERWAY  BOAR  D,  UNI  TED  STATES  GOVERNMENT, 
BOARD  OF  HARBOR  AND  LAND  COM M  ISS 10  NERS  OF  M ASSACHUS  ET TS  AND  OT H  ER  SOURCES 


JANUARY  1914 


1000 


6EORC-E  W,  WOOD  Engin* 
EDWARD  C. SHERMAN  Cons 
WW.MARRS  Dehnealor 


hngEoglr 


NOTE 

Figures  are  in  feel  and  tenths  and  show  elevations  above  the  datum 
plane(£ssex  Co)which  is  34i2  feehbelow  the  cresfof  the  dam  at 
Lawrence.  Minus  figures  show  depths  below  datum  plane 

*  13  feet  above  Mean  Low  Water  Black  Rocks 


Crest  of  darn  43. 
datum,  Newburyport. 

See  report  of  Col.  Edward  Burr  Corps  of  Engineers  U.S.A 
November  30  1908  House  Document  No  2  61st Congress  1st. 

Session  page  9 

Contour  interval  2 0  feet  Datum  Mean  Sea  Level. 

To  obtain  the  depth  of  wafer  at  any  point  in  the  river  between  the  Lawrence  dam  and  Hunts  Falls 
Subtract  the  elevations  shown  on  map  from  36  which  is  the  assumed  elevation  of  pool 
To  obtain  the  depth  of  water  at  any  point  in  the  river  between  the  Lawrence  dam  and  Mitchells 
Falls.  Subtract  +elevations  from  3.7and  add  —  elevations  to  3.7  which  is  the  assumed 


'I'Roooseo 


Heuotype  Co  Boston 


MERR1MAC  RIVER 

IN  MASSACHUSETTS 

PREPAREDUNDER  DIRECTION  OF  THE 

MERRIMAC.  VALLEY  WATERWAY  BOARD 

ESTABLISHED  BY  CHAPTER  708  ACTS  OF  1912 

COM  PI  LED  FROM  SURVEYS  B  Y  TH  E  MERR I  MAC  VALLEY  WATERWAY  BOAR  D,  U  N I  TED  STATES  GOVERNMENT, 
BOARD  OF  HARBOR  AND  LAND  COMMISSIONERS  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  ANDOTHER  SOURCES 

JANUARY  1914 


scal  e. 


1000  500 

fe-H  stSL 


FEET 

* 


Charles  C  Paine,  Chairman, 
Anorew  B  Sutherland. 
Lewis  R  Hovey. 


Merrimac  Va l l e  v 
Waterway  Board 


6EOR&E  W.WOOO  Engineer 
EDWARD  C.  SHERMAN  Consulting  Eng*ne« 
WW.  MARRS  Delineator 


NOTE.  FOR  RIVER  BELOW  HUNTS  FALLS 

Figures  are  in  feet  and  tenthsand  show  elevations  above  the  datum 
plane, whichis34iz  feet  below  the  crest  of  the  dam  at  Lawrence 
M  inus  figures  show  depths  below  datum  plane 
Cresfof  dam  43.  is  feet  above  Mean  Low  Water  Black  Rocks 
datum  NeWburyporh. 

See  report  of  Col  Edward  Burr  Corps  of  Engineers  U.SA 
Nov  30, 1908  House  document  No  2,61st  Congress  IstSession 
page  9 

Contour  interval  20  feet  Datum  Mean  Sea  Level . 

NOTE  FOR  RIVER  ABOVE  PAWTUCKET  DAM 
Soundings  are  in  feet  and  tenths  and  show  depths  below 
the  horizontal  plane  passing  through  the  fop  of  the 
flashboards  on  the  Pawtuckef  Dam  at  Lowell  85.ofeet 
on  the  Locks  6cCanal  Com panys  standard  gauge 
To  obtain  the  depth  of  water  a!  any  point  in  the  river  between 
the  Lawrence  Jam  and  Hunts  Falls.  Subtract  the  elevations 
shown  on  map  from  36  which  is  the  assumed  elevationof  pool 


map  or 


